This apartment (2 bedrooms, 2 baths) was perfect for our group of 2 couples. The location in the heart of Florence was wonderful -- 2 blocks from the Duomo, 2 blocks from the Piazza della Repubblica, a short walk to the Uffizi and Accademia. While the narrow street in front of the building is filled with tourists, the apartment itself, on Floor 2 (U.S. 3rd floor) was amazingly quiet. Almost all tourist destinations in Florence are walkable from the apartment. There are many places to eat and lots of upscale stores for window-shopping.
Stefano allowed us to check-in early, greeted us at the apartment, and supplied a folder with a bit of local information.
The spacious apartment had a large dining table and a small balcony with a view of the top of the Duomo. We used it to dry clothes during the day on a drying rack that is provided. The décor of the unit is very modern, the beds were quite comfortable, the kitchen well-stocked with dishes and cookware (but no microwave, however there was a small convection oven which we never figured out how to use). The bedrooms are at opposite ends of the apartment. The two baths and showers were adequate-sized and worked well for us. The bedroom was very quiet at night, partially due to being on the 3rd floor, but also because there are double-paned windows. When the Duomo bells started ringing (about 6 pm) we could barely hear them until we opened the window (whereupon the sound was quite robust). One learning-curve: the bedroom windows are also covered by room-darkening metal “shades”. We tried lifting them up, but they barely moved. Then we discovered they are controlled electronically from a switch on the light-switch panels!
We found many wonderful places to eat nearby – some on piazzas, some on small sidestreets. I can’t emphasize enough how easy it was to walk around Florence from this location. The only place we really needed a taxi was to visit the spectacular view over the city at sunset from the Piazzale Michelangelo. Taxis can usually be found at the nearby Piazza della Repubblica. We would definitely return to Stefano’s apartment on a future trip to Florence.