I very rarely give five star reviews and I have to say that this place fully earned it. Replies to my queries were promptly answered, and Rocco was very kind and responsive to all the questions I asked from the beginning. They were very patient too when I was tied up with work and was unable to confirm the dates of my reservation.

My husband and I took a taxi from the Santa Maria Novella Termini to the apartment and it added up to about 10+ euro, which is pretty affordable. It's also walkable but I probably won't advise it if you have luggage! Rocco was away on a business trip at the time of our stay so Rocco's wife Paola met us and showed us the apartment. We were so happy when we went in - it was big, spacious and absolutely clean and comfortable. There was an outdoor patio area which we thought we'd use but didn't in the end because it was just so cold (we were there in Dec 2013). The dining area was good enough though. I loved the wooden dining table!

Everything was in good working order - we used the kitchen for meals, and our hosts left us some wine. There were guidebooks as well which we referred to quite a bit. Rick Steve's 2013 guide was especially helpful! The heating system worked very well and we were never too cold, despite some very cold days when we were in Firenze! We could always return to a comfortable and warm apartment after a day of walking in the cold. The shower and toilet was great and very modern.

Location was good - it wasn't in the heart of the city which was the way we liked it anyway and it was just a short walk there (about 5 to Pitti Palace and 10 minutes or less to the Ponte Vecchio bridge) There is some shopping and mini-marts nearby.

It was certainly the best apartment we had during our three weeks in Europe and we hope to be back again soon! :)