Vico Street

The compact apartment is clean, has good facilities, a decent shower, and a strong Wi-Fi signal. The bed was soft but supportive, and worked fine for my bad back. It's in Centro Storico, fairly quiet because it's away from the loud bars and main tourist street of Via Tribunal. There are still occasional cars and motorcycles on the street, so light sleepers should bring earplugs. The TV has just a few Italian channels, so bring a portable DVD player or iPad if you want your own media.

It's centrally located, but the bed was uncomfortable and the pillows smelled bad. Showering was difficult because the water temperature kept swinging from normal to very hot or cold.

From the website photos and Francesca Capuozzo's helpfulness, the place first seemed like a five-star stay. Then we arrived at 12:30 AM with our six-year-old son and were met by a horrible smell of dust, smoke, and animals. There was dirt throughout, including dust, limescale, and hair on the sheets and towels. We had no choice but to stay until morning, but couldn't sleep because of the noise and the foul odor. We immediately looked for somewhere else and told the owner what had happened. She replied, “You could contact me...” and said they'd send a cleaning company. She also said she'd checked the apartment and found nothing serious enough to cause health problems. I believe anyone renting rooms should make sure they're at least decently clean and habitable. Being told after arriving late at night with a child that I could have called and she'd send a company doesn't address that.

The apartment is in an excellent location, and the host was kind and helpful with everything we needed. It was good value for money. Cleanliness was fine, though not outstanding.