The location of this apartment is excellent. It is close to one of the train stations. If you walk, it is a very uphill walk with luggage to the apartment. The decor is interesting and there are lots of pieces from the hosts' travels. We came for my mom's birthday, and the hosts kindly left her a bottle of wine for her and made restaurant recommendations. The rooms are comfortable, and even without air conditioning, it never got hot with the cross breeze. It was great having a washing machine.
Paulo helped us with our luggage and carried them up the stairs for us. We had three large suitcases and some carry-ons between us because we had been travelling for two months, and it was hard to maneuver them up the stairs. We were very grateful for Paolo's help. I would normally travel lighter in a place such as this, but this was at the end of our trip, and we had everything ready to go home, so it was what it was.
A word regarding the stairs. The description mentions that the apartment is on the 3rd floor without an elevator. I have stayed in many old buildings such as this, and I am used to walking up stairs without an elevator, even with heavy luggage. Please note that the treads on the stairs are shorter than in a modern building, making it more necessary to be cautious walking up and down, especially if you have larger feet. On the second night of our stay, when we came home after being at a national park kayaking all day, we opened the door, and an elderly woman was falling head over heels down the stairs towards us. We got out of the way just in time and called emergency services, which took more than 30 minutes to arrive. The woman was bleeding profusely, and it appeared she had hit her head on something attached to the wall in addition to each time she fell on a step. The hosts came later in the evening to clean the blood so we could get into the apartment, and I truly hope the woman was okay. I have communicated with them privately about how the situation was handled. They had their own family situation going on, and I hope they are okay as well. I am including this in the review because while I did love the apartment, and Paolo was very helpful to us, especially at the beginning, if you are at all worried out long narrow staircases, give this place a pass. We stayed in two other places with stair cases this summer that were not a problem. I think they should include a photo of the stairs in the review, as they are so steep.