Altana Bologna

The rooftop alone makes this a special place, and the price is very reasonable for such a central Bologna location. I’d happily come again. I’ve put more detail in my Tripadvisor review, since Google reviews don’t allow enough characters. Here are the main points. You’re right in the center, with the Bologna towers literally around the corner, Piazza Maggiore two minutes away, and plenty of good shops and restaurants nearby. Tamburini, in the same building, is a great old-fashioned Italian deli, bar, and restaurant. It’s a busy street, so there is some noise, though we slept well except for one night when a nearby bar had a huge party. The apartment is on the sixth floor of a nice building. An elevator gets you to the fourth floor, then there’s a large flight of stairs and one floor on the apartment’s very small spiral staircase. The fifth floor has no apartment space, just the front door and access to that staircase. The rooftop is on the seventh floor, reached by the same spiral stairs, and it’s just for you. The access wasn’t tricky, and even though I’m very afraid of heights, I was fine. Just know the rooftop isn’t on the apartment level. It’s a big rooftop, maybe 15m2, with two tables, chairs, benches, and deckchairs. The deckchairs are nice for lying down, but the seats are uncomfortable. Two comfy armchairs would be a good addition. There’s also a smaller terrace off the main room through a glazed door. The view is less panoramic but still lovely, and there’s a gas barbecue. The shutter on the door is hard to use. The apartment itself isn’t big, but the layout is good and it has almost everything you need. Half of the main room is taken up by the kitchen. The kitchen works fine, though there aren’t many dishes or cooking utensils. We missed having a sharp kitchen knife, as the steak knives provided weren’t handy for many things, and there were only three wine glasses. There’s no dishwasher, but there is a Nespresso machine. A counter with four high chairs is the only place to sit, and it isn’t very comfortable. We wished for a small sofa or a couple of armchairs to relax in, since otherwise you have to sit on the bed. The bathroom is very small but clean and nice, with a washing machine. The shower pressure is very good. The bedroom has enough space and lots of closets, and our open, full suitcases fit under the bed. The bed felt a bit hard, which is a matter of taste. It’s 160 cm wide, despite looking smaller in the pictures, but shorter than usual, I think about 180 cm. If you’re tall like me, your feet will stick out. The air conditioning worked very well, with separate units in the kitchen and main room and in the bedroom. Wi-Fi worked well at 15/20Mb, but it’s a 4G connection with a 100Gb monthly data limit. So don’t stream too much Netflix, and if you arrive near the end of the month, hope previous guests haven’t either. The host was very kind and replied quickly through Booking.com messaging. If the apartment setup works for you, go ahead and book. There are a few things that could be improved, but it’s already a nice place, and the rooftop makes it exceptional.