When we arrived, Emilio was ready for us. He checked us in and showed us around and how everything worked.
I had read some of the reviews about how they had suggested a steak place for guests and I was torn because I didn’t know if it was actually good or something that they just thought American tourists would find good. We decided to try it and—while I’m no food expert—I found it quite good. It’s quite expensive, but that may be because we ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. The place was founded over a century ago so they must be doing something right.
The listing was clear on this next point but I think I overlooked how only one of the two bedrooms had AC, but the living room AC can cool the second bedroom if the door is left open.
The apartment was as described, and comfortable and clean and easy to use. The main bedroom is enormous and the rest is what I would consider typical European apartment size. Not cramped but neither is it spacious.
We have two teenage kids so one slept on the sofa bed and the other in the second bedroom and it worked out really well for us.
I’ll make a couple of clarifications here also that were not meant to be misleading, but American novice travelers like me might not know.
The washer/dryer is, by American standards, only a washer. The machine says “washer/dryer” on it so they are not trying to be misleading, but in Italy apparently that just means it has a spin cycle. They do offer a clothesline out the second bedroom window and clothespins to finish the drying though, which made me feel very local indeed! I had fun with it but was always a little nervous that my pinning would fail and they would fall into the downstairs neighbors backyard. (They never did.)
The other clarification is that, if you don’t know, in Italy the second floor is called the first floor. Think of your floor number as how many floors you have to climb to get there. So while I was expecting an (American) second floor apartment, I got an (American) third floor apartment. I didn’t care one way or another, but I didn’t know that numbering system.
The location was great. It’s walking distance from everything. Even the train station. We didn’t take a cab or bus or train anywhere for our entire stay in the city. And for you brave eaters, there is a fantastic lampredotto stand just down the street that you’ll pass on your way to just about anywhere.
Check out Santa Croce if you stay here. It’s the closest piazza to it and the basilica has the crypts of Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli inside. It’s ticketed but on the Firenze card.
Florence is a beautiful city and this place is a great place to launch your exploration of it. It’s far enough away from the crowds that you can get away, but a short walk back to just about anywhere.
Oh, I almost forgot. They left us coffee. Tons of coffee! Both in packets and in a can. We drank and drank and drank and didn’t run out! There were also 5 or 6 bottles of sparkling water in the fridge. A nice welcoming touch!