The location is great if you want to be close to the tourist spots but also is relatively quiet at night. It is a great spot for a short-term stay. We had, however, rented it for a month.
We appreciate our host's quick response with bringing us better kitchen supplies and also fixing our heater / hot water when it went out. When we arrived, several kitchen supplies were missing (ex. knife, cutting board, bottle opener, spatula etc...) He was quick to purchase these and bring them over. It was, however, extremely frustrating when we wanted to celebrate with a glass of wine the first night in Italy and didn't have a bottle opener. I had to bring the bottle over to a restaurant down the street and get them to open it.
We had stayed in several places in Europe and we particularly appreciated the great heaters and hot water in this apartment. We also appreciated the great washer and the bed was somewhat comfy even though a little bouncy.
Initially, we were extremely frustrated as the apartment is up 58 steps (5 flights of stairs.) It is advertised as being on the "2nd floor" and even though it is "apartment #2" it is up a very steep, narrow staircase with uneven steps. We had very large and heavy bags which were nearly impossible to get up and down the stairs (despite being fit 40 year olds.)
We would have also appreciated a book with instructions. For example, how do we use the washer? Where do we take the garbage? Recycling? How to use the TV. Can we drink the water? (In Rome we were able to drink the water so did so for the first day in Florence and both ended up up migraines.)
There were also several items in the apartment that were broken and taking up space. Since we were there for a month we needed the space. There was a floor lamp and three huge fans that were all broken.
Maybe this is an issue in all Florence apartments in old buildings, but there is a lot chlorine in the water. I don't know the policy around this but whenever we washed dishes, took a shower etc... the room would smell like chlorine. I assume that this is also problematic in that there are water heaters. Somehow heating up chlorinated water does not sound like a healthy idea.
Towards the end of our stay, there started to be a problem with mosquitos. We could not leave our windows open as there were no screens. Being that this apartment is close to the river, I imagine this is the main cause of the mosquitos. We were wondering what all the little blood splatters are on the walls. Obviously, squashed mosquitos by previous guests.
Cooking in the kitchen was frustrating. For short-term stays or preparing really simple meals then it would be adequate. For us, it was challenging. The stove was really finicky and difficult to start. The fridge was a tiny bar fridge. There was little light in the kitchen.
There was also no extra linens or towels. Being that we were there for a month this was surprisingly not provided. We had to ask for an extra set, which were supplied quickly. It was just frustrating that there was not more thought into what would be required to ensure our stay (or anyone's stay) so it would be as comfortable as possible.
We actually became so frustrated with the apartment that we ended up leaving for half of the time and renting a different place. Again, this place would probably be totally fine for a couple of days but definitely not long-term.