My wife and I were promptly met by one of Federico's associates at the apartment as scheduled. The apartment is on the second floor, so bear that in mind if you have heavy suitcases like we did. On check-in we were given a list of places nearby worth eating, one of which turned out to be a real gem.

The apartment is literally a stone's throw from the Arno and, as listed, across the street and around the corner from the Galleria degli Uffizi. If that is your main destination when in Florence, you won't find a more convenient address. It's not exactly central to the rest of the city, but most places of interest are no more than 20-25 minutes away walking.

The apartment appeared as listed. Almost everything listed was there, with two notable exceptions: an iron and essentials. Look we did, but didn't find an iron or board. Not a huge deal, but could have been had I really needed it. The essentials missing were basic toiletries. There was hand soap and plenty of toilet paper, but no shampoo or bath soap. Again, not a huge deal, because we had brought our own, but if someone is expecting those things, it could be a major issue.

For the most part everything else was in order, but a few minor things, aside from the lacking amenities, made the experience less than stellar.

The main problem area was the bathroom, which, while equipped with the largest shower we'd encountered in Italy, had so many little issues that it at times was aggravating. To start with, the shelf under the mirror was ever so slightly crooked, which meant things keep sliding off. The toilet seat and cover would not stay open, which resulted in some acrobatics in use. My biggest gripe, however, were the towel hangers, one of which was broken and couldn't even be used. They were installed at the far end of the bathroom, so exiting the shower means getting everything wet to get to your towel, or putting your towel on the toilet.

The other main issue was the bedroom. The bed was essentially two singles put together, which might be good or bad, depending on your preference. Also, the Wi-Fi was very slow, coming and going often and with some unusual traffic monitoring. The real issue was that the lights across the street are very bright at night, and the curtains were woefully inadequate to deal with that much light.

All in all, it's a nice apartment with an enviable address, but a few kinks that need to be worked out. My feeling was that when it was converted to rental use, a lot of things weren't planned out completely. Should those kinks be ironed out, it would make for an excellent place to stay in Firenze.