The hosts appeared very kind and responsive, they just do not speak English like it states here on the listing. I stayed here for 1 month and it was a stay that I wish was more peaceful than problematic.
You will not get any cell phone service but the WiFi is very strong. In my case, I had work to do and needed heavy internet usage. I even streamed Netflix with no problem.
My stay was during winter and the apartment took an entire week to reach 24 degrees. Which was still a bit cold for me. The host eventually came to adjust the boiler but before then I was so cold I couldn’t leave the room and ordered delivery! I’m from New York and our winters are much colder than Florence so if I was cold I’m sure others would have been too!
The water has such a high content of chlorine that you can smell the fumes throughout the house whether you’re using the sink to wash your hands quickly, or showering. My friend’s uncle that works for the city of Florence says there is a water filter that’s needed to lower the chlorine content. Some chlorine is okay, but high levels have proven to be unsafe to humans. I can’t tell you how many bottles of water I had to buy just to wash my food before cooking and I had to take showers at a friend’s house because of it. The water also completely stripped my hair of the dye color I had so it cost me more trips to the salon than I anticipated. I’ve stayed in multiple hotels, friends apartments, and AirBnB’s over the past 13 years in Florence and have visited on multiple occasions and none of them had as much chlorine as this apartment does.
The apartment was cleaned except for the floors, shower, and fridge. The floors were so dirty my socks were soiled after only 1 day of walking in the apartment. The shower was clogged full of hair in the drain that I had to pick out and clean out so that I could take showers without the water being clogged. Sometimes the water would flow into the toilet area, since there is no separation between the shower and the rest of the bathroom aside from one glass shower wall. The refrigerator was really small and was not very clean either. I cleaned the shower, floors and fridge on my own before I got too comfortable.
There is construction work going on in the property and wood shavings and dust fall into the living room and bedroom from the hammering upstairs. I realize maybe that’s why the floors were so dirty. It’s loud around 7/8am so be prepared to be disturbed if you’re still sleeping or haven’t left the apartment yet.
The area of the building inside the courtyard is not kept clean. There are smells coming into the apartment. If I wanted to air out the apartment from the hot shower, or even in the kitchen after cooking, all the horrible smells blow into the apartment from the courtyard. There is a neighbor that doesn’t pick up after their dog and the neighbors were clearly very sick my entire stay and they spit inside the courtyard without any respect for the property, which you can see while walking out. I can get over the pigeons who mate and moan every morning and the massive droppings in the courtyard because you can’t control animals, but when the neighbors don’t respect the property, that’s another story.
There are stairs inside the apartment going into the common areas. I slipped on the smooth concrete stairs and there was no hand rail to break my fall to save me from injury. I not disabled but I can’t imagine an older person or a disabled person staying here if I couldn’t even keep from falling on these steep stairs without needing to hold onto a bannister.
I think the hosts took on this property hoping it would be a good investment, but I don’t blame them for moving and not living in the apartment either.
Overall, I do not recommend this place for long stays and if you need to shower daily and conscious of harsh chemicals on your body, nor if you wish to be undisturbed or need sunshine. The hosts were very nice but their kindness unfortunately cannot make up for the many flaws of the property.