First off, this is a stunning little apartment that is modern and conveniently located in the heart of Florence--everything was walking distance! Marco and his daughter met me at the apartment and were very nice and welcoming. I appreciated that Marco left a bottle of regional Chianti wine, which I thought was a unique touch to the overall experience. In general, I would recommend staying at this apartment, but let me highlight a couple of personal concerns.

* There is no wireless internet, which should be a must for tourists who don't have cell reception while traveling. However, it was my fault for not making sure of this beforehand, not Marco's. Just be aware that there is also very little phone/data reception in the apartment (my cell actually works abroad but the service was bad, probably due to the apartment being in an older building).

*Even though I told Marco that I would be traveling with my sister and mother, he only provided one roll of toilet paper (needless to say, we ran out of toilet paper early on the trip). Also, there was no trashcan in the bathroom which I thought was odd.

*The key situation presented a problem. There is a key to turn on the electricity in the apartment, which is fine, but it created a problem when I wanted to go explore the city alone. The electricity key and the door keys were on a locked key chain, which is smart to avoid having people make duplicates of your keys, but not ideal if the people in your party want to go separate ways. I asked Marco for an extra set of keys or at least an extra electricity key, but he was slow in responding and eventually I couldn't get the extra key. The delay in responding to my request would have been fine except Marco had previously responded almost instantly before we arrived to try to sell me on transfer service from the train station or to nearby towns. Marco has a transfer service, which is smart if you're an airbnb host, but he was too aggressive with trying to sell me on getting a ride from the train station and not helpful at all in providing information on public transportation (other airbnb hosts have gone great lengths to either meet me at the train station or explain to me the various ways to get to their apartments using bus/taxi). You can take a bus to Marco's; or if you're feeling active, you can walk as well. I understand that Marco is running a business and it may not be in his best interest to disclose such information, but the constant reminder of his transfer services left a bad taste in my mouth.

Overall, I would recommend staying at Marco's apartment because everything inside seemed new and the location was ideal. Just be sure to ask for enough toilet paper and an extra pair of keys! :)