A lovely, immaculate apartment handily located a 10-minute walk from the Duomo, just east of all the main city centre attractions, away from the main tourist crush. Caterina was extremely helpful, from the moment we booked to the day of our arrival. When we turned up in a cab she was there at the door to greet us, with a list of recommended places to eat, a walk-through of the spacious apartment and an orientation of where it was located. The apartment itself is the cloisters of a medieval convent, and despite the fact we were there over New Year's – with cheering and fire crackers going off all over the place – it was absolutely quiet inside. It's extremely spacious, uncluttered and comfortable, has good wifi and is handily packed with a stack of useful guidebooks. It was bitterly cold in Florence during our stay but the house was warm as toast, and you can see it would be a great cool refuge from the summer heat too. If you're looking for a room with a view, this isn't the place as it's ground floor and backs onto a small courtyard, but given how much sightseeing there is to do in Florence for most people this wouldn't be an issue. The bathroom is tiny but fine, and if you wanted to cook in, the kitchen is equipped with all the basics. Not that we wanted to. There are some great trattorias nearby – if you want a bistecca (we tried a few!), book yourself into Acquacotta just round the corner (thanks to Caterina for the recommendation). Del Fagioli is another fantastic tratt, packed with locals and with lovely staff and downright delicious food, best washed down with a raffia-wrapped house Chianti. When we had to leave, Caterina was good enough to call us a cab and wish us buon viaggio. Grazie mille!