The good stuff: incredible location near all the sites. Bakery, pharmacy, cafe, grocery, etc, right downstairs. Clean bathrooms, good hot water. Great price. Comfortable beds, clean linens, plentiful towels. Helpful, friendly, and responsive contact person (Artan).

The bad stuff: comically tiny, awkward kitchen. The stove was unsavory and seemed not to work (the knobs were missing. No natural light in the kitchen or living room, and fluorescent(s) bulbs in the living room give it an unhealthy look. Ugly living room furniture. Mosquitoes.

The conclusion: we ended up happy with our stay. When we first arrived, the place seemed really depressing--because the common rooms were dark and cluttered. We spent a frantic hour cleaning off surfaces and rearranging furniture, which helped. And we got used to kicking the refrigerator door to get it to close, and toasting bread on the top of the stove, and so on. As the bedrooms are perfectly nice (they have light and are comfortable, except for the mosquitoes), the bathrooms fine, and the neighborhood and proximity to sites terrific, we grew fond of the place.

But on a rainy day (we had our share), it's simply not a place you want to hang out. Next time I think I would sacrifice a little proximity and a little more money to be in a place that's lovelier just to be in. If, however, you simply need a place from which to launch long, active days out in the city of Florence, I highly recommend this one.