Nicola and Chiara were marvelous hosts! Nicola stayed in regular contact with us in the days and weeks prior to our arrival in Firenze, meeting us at the flat when we arrived, helping us up the stairs with our bags, providing us with maps, keys and explanations, so helpful! The flat itself was *perfect* and had everything we ever needed - we cooked for the nine days we were there and the kitchen had everything: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, sugar, teas, a grater, lots of pots and pans, it was perfect! Also, there were marvelous books there about Italy and Firenze; my sense was that other guests had left these behind for future guests - very helpful!
As others have mentioned, the flat was perfectly situated to be close to the Duomo and the other historical/cultural places - only 4 blocks from the Duomo! We loved being able to walk everywhere, although you have to move pretty fast to avoid being hit by buses, cars, motorcycles and bikes! Nicola and Chiara's flat was in the PERFECT location for us as it was our first trip to Italy. We recommend taking a cab from the Airport - only 22 euros and the driver drops you right off at the front door. Much easier than navigating the bus system and walking the last bit after long international flights.
This part of Firenze is "party central," so be forewarned, it's loud, it's raucous, it's fun! Other things to share: we found several pubs and cafés to use for WIFI - if you buy a beer, wine or coffee, you get access to their WIFI. The city of Firenze provides some limited access to WIFI for perhaps 2 hours per day, but the signal is only strong enough to check email, not to log into AirBNB or visit other websites.
There is a Grocery Store called "Conad" just a short walk away: as you're leaving the flat, go left out the door (East) - it's perhaps 5 minutes away. There's also a couple of 99 cent stores that were super helpful!
Everybody seems to gather around the Duomo and steps of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. We found this exhilarating! Make sure you reserve your tickets in advance to all the cultural hot spots: the Uffizi and the Academia (Michelangelo's David) - to avoid waiting in crazy long lines (www.firenzemuseo.it)
Grazie mille Nicola e Chiara for our perfect first AirBNB experience - we had a wonderful time!
All our best!
Shae & John
Ottobre 2014