Ripamonti: 2 double bedrooms, direct tram to the Duomo

Two double bedrooms, each with its own desk: two colleagues on a business trip don’t have to fight over the desk, and a family can sleep without having to unfold sofa beds. The bathroom has been refurbished, with a walk-in shower and a washing machine. The kitchen is a separate room, with a wooden worktop and four stools. Tram 24 stops right outside the flat, taking you to the city centre without having to change trams; the Prada Foundation and the Symbiosis offices are a ten-minute walk away. There is a lift, air conditioning in the bedrooms, and a private entrance accessible at any time.

The tram stop is right outside the flat and is called Ripamonti–Rutilia. From there, the number 24 goes straight to Piazza Fontana, a three-minute walk from the Duomo, without having to change lines: you simply get on with your suitcases and sit back until you reach your destination. That’s why this flat is better value than the distance on the map would suggest.

You enter a hallway with a coat rack and a mirror, and the two bedrooms open off from there. They’re twin rooms only on paper: both have a proper double bed, a walk-in wardrobe with hangers already in place, air conditioning, a TV and – the detail that matters if you’re travelling on business – a desk with a lamp and a wicker chair, so two people can work in the same flat without having to fight over a table. The dark parquet flooring and linen curtains lend a warm tone to both rooms; the windows look out onto Via Rutilia, not onto the traffic on Ripamonti.

The bathroom has recently been refurbished: grey stoneware tiles up to the ceiling, a walk-in shower with a slate tray and rain shower head, black taps, a bidet, and a proper window that lets in natural light and air. In one corner is the washing machine, with laundry baskets on top: for a two-week stay, there’s no need to look for a launderette.

The kitchen is a separate room, narrow and tidy: an induction hob, extractor hood, oven, dishwasher, microwave, kettle and a pod coffee machine. Along the long wall runs a solid wood worktop with four stools — this is where you have breakfast standing up at half past seven, and where you finish dinner at a leisurely pace in the evening. The terracotta floor and the laminated glass window give the room a character that the white kitchens in new blocks of flats lack.

A three-room flat for four people: two double bedrooms, one bathroom, and a kitchen that doubles as a dining room. There’s no terrace or view. In the evening, however, you can hear the silence, and for those staying more than two nights, that’s worth a great deal.

Wi-Fi throughout the house, air conditioning in the bedrooms, central heating. Bed linen and towels are included, washed and ironed by a professional external laundry service.