Unfortunately, we never got to meet Maddalena since she had to go on a business trip two days before we came to Florence, but in my interactions with her prior to getting there, she was very friendly & quick to respond to my questions and helpful in providing information about trains, restaurants and nearby sightseeing.
She had arranged with a friend to take over from her. He met us at the train station and walked us to the apartment which was a 5-7 minute walk from the Santa Maria Novella station. As soon as we got to the flat I realized a big oversight on my part when I was looking at this flat. It is on the second floor with no elevator. With 2 heavy bags, we struggled as we carried them up two flights of stairs.
Since we'd arrived much earlier than check in time, Maddalena's friend showed us around and we left for some sightseeing nearby while he cleaned the apartment. 2-3 hours later we came to a clean apartment, but found some essential stuff was missing. No hand soap, body wash, shampoo or bath mat. Her friend had forgotten to replace them. He did bring it around the next day, though still no bath mat. Used a towel as replacement.
The apartment's location & neighborhood are great. Mind you though, there is a restaurant in the building or next door but they have a backdoor near the stairway that is open all the time while the restaurant is in business so you see staff working, talking as you try and open the gate to the stairway. Not a big issue but these are things that are not listed & as someone who is giving an honest opinion, I think it's worth mentioning it.
It's also five minutes walking to the Duomo, 15 minutes to the Uffizi museum, many stores and restaurants are nearby. The living room is open and spacious. Lots of light from the two big windows, lovely high ceiling. It's simple but nicely done up. The downstairs bedroom with the twin beds was basic as was the loft bedroom. The ceiling of the upstairs bedroom is really low and my husband hurt his head a couple of times when he forgot to bend! The upstairs half bath has the same issue- very low ceiling. Even me, who is a short person had my head touching the roof. The flat has no AC, only fans and we did see some hot temperatures while we were in Florence and had to make do with very small table fans in the living room and loft bedroom.
The kitchen was fine though we didn't use it. The downstairs bathroom could use a little remodeling. It's small and the shower stall is very cramped. So cramped that we could hardly move and kept banging into the wall/doors. Major problem for a tall/big person.
Overall, our stay was pleasant enough for the short period we were there for.