We loved our Firenze villa stay over the Thanksgiving holiday. The grounds are beyond picturesque and the neighbors Aura and Maximilliano are impeccable hosts. They greeted us when we arrived, showed us around, and happily addressed our every question throughout the week from where to order pizza to how to load the pellet fireplace. One morning they were out raking olives from the olive trees (!) and took the time to explain it to us. They even brought over some of their own olive oil with bread so we could taste it. Talk about authentic!
There was plenty of room for our party of 6 adults, 2 children, and 2 SUVs. The kitchen is spacious with several grocery stores a 10 minute drive away. Lots of common rooms for family time together, and when you're tired of them, you can retire to your room or wing of the house and enjoy your private beautiful Tuscan view. The villa is an old Medici hunting lodge, so there are woods in the back you can explore. The kids even picked fruit and herbs around the villa.
The bus stop is a convenient 5-10 minute walk from the villa and stops every 20-30 minutes. Beware though that the streets are windy, the sidewalks are narrow, and Italians drive REALLY FAST. Also, buy your ticket at a tobacco shop or bar before getting on the bus because the drivers didn't have any to sell us. It takes 20 minutes to get to Piazza San Marco, and everything is walkable from there.
If you don't have a car, you can easily take the bus into town, but won't really have many restaurants and shops to walk to directly from the villa itself. The villa is so spacious and homey, though, that you're better off staying in and enjoying it like your own high-end resort. If you do have a car, you can get to a lot of cool places from there including Fiesole, Pisa, wineries, etc. Alexandra has a helpful book of nearby points of interest and recommended restaurants.
Highly recommend this AirBnB for an authentic Tuscan experience with beautiful scenery and very local feel. Fantastic hospitality at a very reasonable price!