Our stay at Vanessa's home was pleasant. The home is located on a hill south of the Arno river in a beautiful area that is quiet and less touristy than the main centre. It is about a 25 minute walk to the main area, and the hill can be difficult depending on your fitness level. Vanessa met us within minutes of us arriving and everything went well during check-in.
As advertised, the apartment does not have air conditioning and can get quite hot. There are no screens on the windows which means the windows cannot be left open at night; however, there is a lovely breeze during the day at which time there are no bugs.
My one complaint about this home is the lack of amenities. The listing says basic amenities are included (such as shampoo), but this was not the case. There was no shampoo, no conditioner, no soap, no paper towel, no dish towels, no laundry detergent, and only two rolls of toilet paper (which for three women staying for five days, is not enough). For this reason, we had to buy several of these things which we were not expecting. Also, the washing machine wasn't working during our stay and the repairman could not come until after we left (which is not Vanessa's fault). Aside from these hiccups, we enjoyed our five days in this VERY spacious apartment situated in a beautiful area of Florence.