Fiorentini Residence MILANO

Location

The one bedroom apartment was located in central Milan on the 3rd floor of a building on a very noisy, heavily trafficked street with a busy tramline. However, the location was excellent being only a very short walk to the Duomo, retail stores, cafes etc. Despite the busy street, inside the apartment it was very quiet. The building was occupied by other apartments and businesses. Entry to the building was through a heavy timber on-street door which opened with a standard key. There was a security guard on duty at the building's entrance during the day. There was a lift to the apartment and also stairs. Entry was via two push-button door codes - one code was required at an entry door to a small foyer and a second push-button code for entry into the apartment itself. The entire apartment was modern and newly renovated with excellent appliances for the most part and was exceptionally clean. I found the lounge/dining area to be spartan in it's furnishings and somewhat stark and bare. The bed and pillows were very comfortable, but the mattress kept sliding off the slippery metal bed base, knocking against the small bedside tables which, in turn, knocked against the walls . The "wardrobe" was a short, swinging rail supported by a poIe, with only 3 coat-hangers - this minimalist hanging space took up an entire wall. There was no TV in the lounge/dining area and only a large smart TV on the bedroom wall, which meant that TV viewing required sitting propped up in or on the bed. A white towelling bath robe was provided but it was stiff and scratchy. The appliances were all new (dishwasher, benchtop cooktop, microwave, coffee maker, electric kettle etc) and ample crockery, utensils, cookware and cutlery were provided. There were ample mirrors as sliding internal doors were mirror-backed. Overall, a conveniently located, clean and pleasant apartment. The contact person for renting the apartment was helpful and courteous.

The two doors to the apartment foyer and the apartment were very heavy metal doors and operated electronically with large metal bolts securing the doors - when inside the apartment, I found it to be a bit like being locked inside a bank vault. Similarly, the exterior metal shutters and internal blinds operated electronically. The entry key code buttons were extremely small and fiddly to press and it usually took a number of attempts entering the codes before the doors opened. The electric Alessi kettle had a too-narrow opening which made the interior of the kettle impossible to clean, so it was full of limescale which flaked off into the water when boiled. There were no brief instructions for the operation of the smart appliances and when I asked I was emailed a link that provided the extensive operating manuals for each appliance, but who - when on holiday - wants to waste time reading copious instructions in order to operate complicated to use domestic appliances?

Simple and perfect for a work stay. We were here for Milan design week and it worked well for us.

Location Too good

Modern, clean, central. Good choice 👍