'Oh mum we are staying in Encanto!" These were the first words my daughter shouted as we spotted the house though a gated entrance at the top of a pretty road. It set the tone for the rest of the holiday.
This is a special house and it does indeed seem to have magical powers!
It combines traditional ancient stone with modern technology and home comforts, and delivers serene countryside, only 15 minutes pleasant walk from Pont Vecchio. Although small it has Tardis like proportions and easily accommodated our family of five.
Being very British we usually like a self-check in, but I may have to re-visit that in Italy. We were met by Daniele, Laura's husband, who welcomed us to a small shaded courtyard, where a table was covered in boards of Italian deli specialities; hams, cheese, breads and - as it turns out - a rather good chianti.
As my three hungry children dived in to the food, and my partner and I dived into the bottle, Daniele told us about the history of the house. Formerly the gate keeper's lodge to a grand Marchese mansion (further up the drive way which now consists of 15 apartments), Laura lived in the lodge as a student in Florence and the family had painstakingly restored it over the years as a holiday home.
To our surprise the lodge and the mansion share a large, gated park that gets the sun all day and is accessible through a gate just outside the house, which even has its own maze!
The lodge itself sits slightly into the hillside and has its own stepped garden, with comfortable garden furniture, a box of garden toys and games kit, and a basket ball hoop and ball that were popular with our crew. There is also a separate paved bbq area, with table and umbrella, large grill and equipment, and plenty of firewood. The views from the bbq patio are across the park into Florence and there are glimpses the Duomo through swaying trees.
Inside, the front door opens into a high-ceilinged open plan space - there is a coat cupboard and separate downstairs bathroom, a dining table with extra leaves, and a large sofa area. There is a small separate galley kitchen, that has been cleverly designed to house everything a family needs.
Although a traditional old house, there are plenty of USB sockets, a large Samsung smart TV, and wifi that was consistently better than ours is in London.
The ground floor's bright and airy annexe contains a small kitchenette, ensuite shower room and double sofa bed. My daughter bagged this room away from her siblings!
I might have been worried about her being downstairs on her own - except the house has a gated private entrance, within the private park's gated entrance, with tall hedges running all around the garden, two sets of lockable front doors and excellent secure windows. We could not have felt safer in the garden or house.
Upstairs there are two very generous double bed rooms and a good size bathroom. In the twin room, the beds are cleverly built into alcove spaces, but they are - to my relief - much bigger than they look in the listing photos - my teenage and tweenie sons were very comfortable. In fact all of us mentioned how comfortable the beds were - and that is not something we often say after an AIrbnb stay!
All upstairs rooms have great views and we woke to bird song each day - it was lovely to have shuttered, netted windows which meant we could sleep with windows open.
The house is at the top of a lovely street, and at the bottom there is one of everything you need; gorgeous fruit and veg shop, a bakery, and deli, an informal pizzeria, and a slightly grander restaurant for a special treat. The gelataria on the corner serves additive-free, wonderful ice cream and Carre Four is 10 minutes walk away.
The walk to The Ponte Vecchio is 15-20 minutes and is pleasant and safe, even late at night. It is the kind of walk that allows you to relax and decompress on your way back from the bustle and buzz of the centre of Florence at the end of a busy sight-seeing day.
Daniele and Laura made it such an easy visit. Before we arrived they provided us with a succinct list of all the local amenities, restaurant recommendations by area, and the opening and closing times of shops (which may otherwise have been a complete mystery!) .
We had everything we needed to make the most of our time in Florence. They really are Super Hosts and we couldn't recommend this house more to families, or groups of adults, looking for somewhere a little special to stay.