Great stay at Irene's. She was readily available to help and answer any questions, including calling a taxi for me to take early the following morning. The apartment is very spacious and literally one minute walk from the laundry, 2 minutes from a grocery store, and less than 10 minutes to the Duomo and city centre. Good locks and safety features in place. Enough dishes and cutlery for 6 people to eat.
Note for those arriving by train: Although it's only 20-25 min walk from the train station, the cobblestone and uneven streets may make it difficult to walk with luggage with wheels. Backpackers would be OK though. I took a cab and it was about 20 min too because of traffic. Totally worth it though!
Thanks again Irene! Highly recommend it.