I've never had a problem with an airbnb host, and was incredibly disappointed that this was my first. Almost all of the reviews of this apartment and this host are amazing, so I was shocked to find that my trip was not only not as good as expected, but that the host was actively hostile to me, to the point of harassing. I am positive that he treated me differently because of my gender and age, as no other guests seem to have had a similar experience.
First, he arrived late - though it's Italy, so I wasn't terribly upset about that. However, once he brought me up to my apartment he told me to never have anyone in the apartment ever, under any circumstances - even though that was not specified in the house rules and the people next door, also in an apartment hosted by him, said he didn't mention that to them. Finally, when I asked if there was a drying rack to go with the washing machine, he promised to find one and never got back to me on that.
The real kicker, however, was that I politely asked if he could change the air conditioning so that it would constantly blow, because at midday it had turned off and the room was getting hot and stale. I had specifically booked this apartment because I have asthma and in the heat it gets hard for me to breathe, but I messaged him upon not being able to find the AC controller. He said there was none, as he controlled it on his phone instead, and sent me a picture saying that it was 24º – which it certainly didn't feel like. Indeed, it's not impossible that he was lying, sending me a picture of the temperature from a different day. Further, he refused to let me control it myself on account of a "law" (which I have never heard of before) that in Italy it's illegal to have the temperature of an air conditioner below 24ºC (~75ºF) in the summer and over 20ºC in the winter. I have stayed in Florence and Rome multiple times during the summer and never been informed of this law, either by hotels, airbnb hosts, or independent apartment rental hosts. Of course, I'm not one to disregard the law, so I checked myself, and it turns out that this law only applies to buildings with central air, not air conditioning units, as this apartment had. Regardless, once I asked if he could even turn the fan speed up so the AC would be on even if it wasn't blowing cold air, he began to send me countless articles about how air conditioning is bad for asthma, as if he or the internet knew better than my doctor or I, who have lived with asthma for my entire life. He claimed to be "helpful" but then went on to call me "pretentious" and "hostile" when I didn't accept his "helpful" advice and went looking for another apartment because I began to feel harassed and threatened by him, even unsafe if I were to stay. He even invited me to leave if I wasn't happy – which I did do, in the end.
He even claimed his apartment was "better" for my health than another would be, and he was "advocating" for me, even though he was actively telling me that my health needs were both incorrect and unnecessary. Each time he messaged me it would begin with a sentence to the effect of "let me explain the situation," as if I didn't understand, while it is clear to me that he is the one who doesn't understand.
Even once I left the apartment, he continued to message me, again unsolicited, both on airbnb and on whatsapp (though I'm not sure how he got my number) – reminding me on multiple occasions, as well, not to leave him a bad review – though perhaps that's why I haven't seen a single negative comment here. Upon request he refused a refund of the days that I would not be staying, saying that the apartment is still empty, as if it were my fault he couldn't find a new guest to fill the time. He continues to insist that he is right and I am wrong, even though I left because of my health needs and the fact that I felt unsafe. His strict cancellation policy has cheated me out of over $400, even after he personally gave me the option to leave. I stayed for only one night and still have to pay $564 – more than half of what I originally spent.
Once I left, he proceeded to invite me back to stay in his apartment again if I return to Florence – as if I ever would want to be in his presence again, when he, a hostile hypocrite, clearly sees me as beneath him. I absolutely do not recommend this host and hope that future guests look beyond the pretty apartment and cheap price.