A Few Steps to The Duomo Upscale 2BD Apt

Beautiful apartment, but we felt very unsafe after a man came in through the front door shortly after 1am. He opened my bedroom door and stared at me. I was still awake because I was packing to leave the next day, but my friend was asleep in the other room. When I demanded to know how he had got in, he just walked out the front door, saying it had been open. He wore a dark hat and black backpack and looked local. We were too shaken to sleep and pushed the sofa against the entrance. We’re very cautious travelers and had checked that the door was locked every time we came back. The building’s front gate wasn’t locked, though, and people passed along the street because of the many restaurants nearby. At 9am, a female staff member said someone might have stolen keys from the staff cleaning room, but gave no further explanation or compensation. We had a train that afternoon and didn’t report it to police. After a night with no sleep, we asked if we could stay a little longer, but were told no because the next guest was arriving that afternoon. It seemed absurd that they wouldn’t first change the lock. We later asked Booking.com for an answer or compensation for the safety breach and heard nothing. I’m relieved I was awake to confront the man, but who knows what he might have done otherwise? If the staff had taken the safety issue seriously and handled it differently, we might have been more understanding. Instead, it felt ignored. I also keep thinking about an earlier visit from a male staff member. On the first or second day, the apartment staff texted to ask if they could come in and check something. We said we’d be back soon and could let them in, so one of the men came that afternoon and did something with the intercom/phone on the wall by the door. At the time we thought little of it, and we’d never been told about the intercom or needed to use it during the self check-in. After the break-in, I wondered why he was checking it and whether they wanted to know who had entered while it was just us two girls staying there. I can’t be sure, but the whole thing felt weird and sketchy.

The apartment was comfortable and nicely laid out, with a view of the Dome over the rooftops across the street. It really is just steps from the Duomo on San Lorenzo street. The owner explained how to get in clearly, so access was straightforward. Just be ready for quite a few stone stairs in the old building, with no elevator.

Being so close to everything made it easy to pop back for a break after a day of walking. The rooms were pleasant, air conditioned, and had washing machines, and they left us complimentary wine. There were lovely apartments near the Duomo with great views from many windows. One odd downside: I never saw any mosquitoes, but kept waking up with 5-10 fresh bites on my hands each morning. I’d still stay here again.

Getting checked in was easy, the customer service was friendly, and the location was excellent. The stairs were tiring to climb, and the hot water didn’t flow very strongly, but I still really liked the stay.