We (me, my wife, my daughter and Max, our five and a half month old grandson) spent four glorious days in and around Bologna, and this home was a wonderful base. Our host, Ren, was welcoming, gracious and attentive to our needs.

She met us upon arrival from the airport, helped us with our luggage and gave us a tour of her lovely home. The house, on the second floor was spotless and comfortable and, well, homey, , with a great kitchen, stocked with treats she provided for us for snacks, breakfasts and more. The bedrooms were roomy, the living room very inviting and a dining area that worked perfectly for all of us. With little Max, we limited our dinners out, but cooking was easy.

Ren had all the information we needed, including directions to a supermarket within walking distance that met our every need. She also had suggestions for nearby restaurants and shops. The bus into the heart of the city was literally just around the corner, and Ren told us where to take it and where to find the stop for the return. We couldn't take advantage of the bikes she provided; perhaps the easiest way into the city, and they were there for the asking.

When we told her of out plans to drive to Ravenna and Ferrara (we parked in her gated driveway), she had directions slipped under our door in minutes, and she included suggestions for restaurants and highlights in each of the cities, and stops nearby if time permitted. All were excellent.

The only things I regretted were not having warm enough weather to enjoy the inviting pool, which we had full access to in a spacious backyard, and not having the time to join Ren and her husband, Don, for a trip to the truly local markets on Friday. Again, she offered with no pressure, continuing to be the perfect host.

On our last night there, my son-in-law arrived early so we could leave for a week in Tuscany in the morning. Ren suggested that we stop in Dozza, about a 20-minute drive from her home, on our way to our next destination. It was a highlight of our trip, a beautiful hilltop town with a castle, where the outside walls of homes have become home to murals from outstanding artists. Beautiful! And her recommendation of a Michelin-starred restaurant there was one of our eating highlights, in an area where food is a calling card.

i cannot recommend this highly enough, other than to say it was the perfect welcome for our 11-day stay in Italy, and just started us on an 11-day smile.

Paul W.

This is the perfect pad to rent for a Citibreak. Its amenities give you a perfect combo of relaxing 'flop and drop' yet still with convenient access by bike or bus to the City centre. The owner could not have been more welcoming: the apartment was scrupulously clean, the welcome pack of food/ goodies was exceptional and the pool/ poolside area was cleaned and tidied every day. She was additionally really adept at tuning into what we might want to do, making suggestions via notes passed under the door and in person, whilst never being obtrusive - quite a feat when you are sharing the same building.

If you need to walk out of your front door into the heart of the city this may not be the best place for you but, if having the facility of a great pool and open space is your thing and you'd enjoy the cycle into town, it can hardly be beaten.

Thanks Renee for a great stay!

We had a really nice time staying at the apartment. This was our first trip in Bologna (we had passed through Bologna by train ride a few years ago). When we arrived the kitchen was stocked with all the breakfast basics, cake, fresh eggs plus unusual local breads. We didn't expect it and the surprise helped us try out things we wouldn't know where to find.There was also a bottle of cold Italian sparkling wine for us and some artisanal local wine made from a local grape we’d never tried called pignoleto, wonderful! There were plenty of area maps and fresh flowers in the living room which came from the garden. The flat was really clean, tidy and had pretty posh furniture for a vacation rental. The master bed had a comfortable deep mattress. The neighbourhood is not touristy and it was easy to get downtown to the old city. The owner gave us some maps and great tips on buying traditional foods like hand-made tortellini and seeing some of the unusual sites like the renaissance operating theatre of the old university medical school where there was no admission charge.
My wife and son cook and all the pots, pans etc. they needed were in the kitchen but we brought really great food home and just heated it up.
We tried the bus once but preferred riding the bikes because you see so much more plus in Bologna feels much safer than riding in the States or in England. On the last day on a whim we biked to the station, took the Eurostar train to Florence for a day trip (the high speed train ride was incredibly efficient and took around half an hour) and the owner arranged for us to rent bikes in Florence which saved a lot of time and hassle (and it’s cheaper than taxis). The owner is really nice, a great hostess who really loves Bologna and knows a lot about the city, its food and alot about wines.
We’ve rented other places and sometimes the owners don’t speak English very well but the owner is an American who has lived in Bologna a long time.

Our only regret is that the pool wasn’t open and anyway it would have been too cold to swim this time of year but the free bikes were great. If we come back to Italy, we are definitely going to come and stay here again,when it’s warmer outside so we can use the pool, too. I would definitely recommend this vacation apartment.