We had an absolutely wonderful stay at Al Tortellino in February 2017 when we were in Bologna on a family vacation. The apartment was perfect for my husband, two children (7 and 4) and me, and we had an absolutely wonderful time in Bologna and surrounds during our 7 days. The apartment appears to be somewhat far outside the city center, but it was a very easy and pleasant 15-20 minute walk each morning. It was also very close - only a 10-15 minute walk - to the train station, which was perfect for us because we took day trips to Venice, Florence, and Ferrara.
The owners of the apartment, Emanuela and her husband Andrea, were unbelievably accommodating and helpful from the second we booked the apartment. We communicated via WhatsApp and they answered plenty of questions for us in advance of our arrival, as well as gave us some great information when we arrived. They were always available to help and they even stocked our apartment with (gluten-free!) necessities like coffee, pasta, milk, juice, and cookies. Everything else we needed was just down the street at the LIDL grocery store.
We originally booked the apartment because it had a free garage space for a small car, but we opted instead to just take a taxi from the airport and trains to and from our day trips, which was actually perfect. The train system in Italy is fantastic and not too expensive (if booked in advance) and we had a wonderful time exploring this area of Italy.
I have been all over Italy but this was my first time in Bologna, and I would highly recommend it to anybody! It is a lovely, untouristed city with AMAZING food and kind people. We had a wonderful experience and would return in an instant - but only if we can stay at Al Tortellino!
Important details that make the apartment really great: very comfortable beds, well-heated, great fast wi-fi, lovely little balcony, fully-equipped kitchen (with dishwasher!), large bathroom with a washing machine (they also supply dishwashing tabs and laundry detergent - so fantastic!), very secure building, elevator, and an amazing gluten-free pizza restaurant just minutes away (La Pantera Rosa!).
The only detraction was a lot of noise coming from other apartments in the evening that can be heard from the master bedroom, but it died down in time for bedtime so it really wasn't an issue. We also use white noise apps on our ipads so that helped.
Thank you Emanuela and Andrea! We had a wonderful visit and hope to return again!