This is a very distinctive apartment. It's very spacious—it was a luxury to have a separate laundry room, for example—and it has a private garden, which is a real rarity in Florence. The garden really "made" the place for me. I spent a lot of time sitting out on the terrace, and I loved the privacy and quiet. The building is an elegant late nineteenth-century villa, and the apartment has some nice original features, like ceiling moldings and beautiful parquet floors.
The apartment is a little outside the main tourist center, in a residential area, but it's only a 20-minute walk to the Duomo. Once you get past the traffic in Piazza della Libertà, you can walk to the center via Via di San Gallo, which is very pleasant and has some good restaurants. There are advantages in being a little outside the center, especially during peak tourist season, when the crowds can get oppressive. Cecilia was a great host—very responsive and helpful and speedy in communications. I can certainly imagine returning to this place next time I come to Florence.