First, the good - Irene was very friendly and professional and was willing to accommodate us dropping off our luggage before check in time. The space is also quite beautiful and spacious, and was spotlessly clean. We also liked the location’s proximity to dining and shops.
However, there were a few issues that impacted our stay. The most obvious was a strong smell in the apartment, like Kimchi or broccoli. I tried asking Irene about it but never received a response. There was a single plug-in air freshener in the apartment, so it seemed like this was a known issue, and it helped mitigate the issue somewhat, but not completely. We aren’t sure if this is just a result of the area - some parts of Florence smell like sulfur due to the volcanic activity - or something else we didn’t know about.
Second, the air conditioner didn’t really work, and the apartment was uncomfortably warm as a result. There is a sticker on the AC remote warning not to turn the AC below 25 degrees, so the best we could do was set the fan higher while leaving the cooling function off. The windows were also either barred or padlocked so we couldn’t really air out the apartment either. This also became an issue after doing laundry in the apartment. There was no way to hang the clothes to dry in a space with good air flow, so they ended up remaining damp for more than a day.
Finally, some minor issues - the fold out cot didn’t have enough cushions to be usable, so our third and fourth travel group members ended up sharing the futon instead. It wasn’t a huge issue, just something to note. There also seems to be a nightclub or bar below the Airbnb, and the walls were thin enough that we could hear the bass through them at night. This might be an issue for light sleepers.
Honestly, as much as I like the area and the good aspects of the Airbnb, and Irene as a host, I don’t think I’d stay in this Airbnb again with the issues mentioned above. If they were fixed, though, I would probably stay again.