River Apartment, Lungo Po

The whole case for this flat is the balcony. It runs the width of the living room, faces the river, and takes in the Gran Madre's dome to the left and the hill directly opposite. In summer the rowing eights go past below at seven in the morning.

The building is a small 1890s block — six apartments, no porter, low service charges. The flat was renovated in 2019 with a straightforward, well-executed spec: no attempt at grandeur, good windows, a proper kitchen, and acoustic insulation on the party wall.

It is a two-bedroom, and it will stay a two-bedroom; the plan does not have a third. As a pied-à-terre or a first purchase in the centre it is one of the more sensible things on our books.