A large, clean, open apartment plenty big enough for the two of us. Three a/c units, which I appreciated after suffering from Florence's humid climate. Some apartments charge for the a/c, Tarcisio does not. Kitchen was convenient, especially after we visited the nearby supermarketto, which was a great cultural experience in itself. (Go east to traffic circle, left to end of block, right to market) Only complaint about kitchen was that, after buying a bottle of wine and taking it back to our apartment, we found there was no corkscrew! Corkscrew ended up costing more than the bottle of wine, not to mention another trip to the market. But don't worry...we left it for the next guests.

Wifi is convenient, and we were glad we had the washing machine to freshen up our clothes (drying time was longer than we expected, again the climate).

Learned that my wife is a more sound sleeper than I when I discovered that the roads surrounding the apartment carried lots of Vespas. I cannot put this apartment in the "quiet" category, and had to use earplugs to sleep, but my wife had no such problem, so judge for yourself. Nice firm mattress. It's close enough to the major attractions, although plan on lots of walking when in Florence regardless of where you stay (thank goodness for moleskin). We were glad we were across the Arno in a less touristy area. And we actually found a few decent values in the shopping area near the Pitti Palace. The Pitti is itself breathtaking--actually overwhelming--in it's art and decor.

We actually stayed here at both the beginning and end of our journey. Our thanks to Letizia, Tarcisio's daughter, standing in for him on our first stay, for rescuing us when we were lost in a new city and the fog of serious jet lag. The apartment is further east than we expected. And thanks to Tarcisio for recommending Trattorio Sabatino, a great find. Also enjoyed Trattoria Casalinga--twice--a fascinating, beguiling micro-example of how Italy works in spite of what most Americans would find to be absolute chaos. And Florence does, in our experience, have the best gelato. We even bought a bulk supply from the supermarket.

Enjoyed our time here. Thanks, Tarcisio and Letizia.