I chose the apartment, the ‘Jazz Room 1’ via Airbnb, which had a central location, situated along Mura di Porta Galliera, around a 20-minute walk into the main hub of Piazza Maggiore and close by to the train station. It’s also a dream to find from the airport. The Marconi Express is the airport shuttle and can reach the city centre in under 10 minutes and is €17 for a return.

For me, when booking an apartment, I like when it’s slightly out of the centre as I’m not too in the midst of a city, but close enough to access it by foot. Exploring a city on foot helps offer a different and off-the-beaten-track kind of perspective as you never know what you may find. Plus, getting lost is all part of the adventure and you can’t enjoy that as much when on some form of transport.

Located in one of the backstreets of the city, the apartment’s road had a quiet appeal in the middle of parked bicycles and cars. One thing I love about Italian apartment buildings is their old-school vibe, large doors and stone steps, which are three attributes this place also had. Initially, the building was pretty intimidating and I wasn’t exactly sure how to enter it but after contacting the host, the housekeeper, gave us the keys and explained where the apartment was situated inside. After entering the large doors and walking up several flights of marble steps, there was one large wooden style door which led to two other blue doors. The entryway had a cute side table with art all around and a modern, welcoming feel.

The best way to describe the apartment itself was modern, open-planned and clean; basically, everything I look for in an apartment. When entering the apartment, I was welcomed with a small kitchenette, boasting a fridge, microwave, sink and all the essentials needed to do a bit of minimal cooking during the stay. It led onto the bedroom which included a large double bed in the centre of the room, an open-air wardrobe and shoe rack to the left, with a leather chair to the right and an outdoor deck chair style table opposite the bed. The room had a contemporary ambience to it with its white walls, grey furnishings and pops of colour with the blue doors, as the front door and the bathroom. The bathroom I fell in love with as it was a lot larger than I expected, and offered a sleek design throughout. Although it didn’t feature a bath, the shower was pretty impressive with a large shower head. Ideal for standing under after a warm, sticky day in the peak of summer.

My favourite thing about the apartment had to be its peaceful vibes and views of the city. Bologna is the capital of Emilia-Romagna and is located in northern Italy, so the mountains aren’t too far away. Because of this, the weather in autumn is typically pretty foggy, especially in the mornings and I loved waking up, opening the blinds and seeing the mist, with mountains poking through in the distance. Even though the view didn’t offer the famous Piazza Maggiore or the quaint streets, it gave me more of a local vibe and I felt completely at home.

Overall, my accommodation in Bologna topped off the trip because I was able to return late in the afternoons for a refresh before heading out again due to the location. I loved the interior, how safe it felt and the snug atmosphere the apartment boasted. Finding the right accommodation is always a top priority to me as that’s what you’re going to call home on your trip, so you should make sure it ticks at least a few of your boxes.

I wouldn’t hesitate again to book this apartment if I returned to the city. The distance to the main hub, the train station and the airport were easy enough to navigate and didn’t take long at all. Its owner made us feel right at home and it was the perfect place to hit the hay after a long day of city exploring.