Elisa is a wonderful host. When I first booked the apartment a few months prior to our stay, we exchanged lots of messages, and she was always quick to reply to my questions. And then the week before our stay, we exchanged a number of additional messages. She was always helpful and responsive. She made it clear that we could either walk or take a taxi from the train station to her apartment - we chose to walk since it was only about 15-20 minutes (the streets and sidewalks in Florence aren't the most rolling suitcase friendly, but we made it work). Elisa greeted us at the front entrance door to the building and was incredibly sweet with a huge smile. She helped us in with our luggage (despite our protests!) and then showed us around her wonderful apartment. The whole place was spotlessly clean. The kitchen is incredibly well appointed (we even made a full breakfast there one morning.) The dining area is beautiful with a wonderful huge sliding door and view out to the patio area in which, during warmer weather, we would have spent more time. The laundry area - in and outside room - was great with an iron, ironing board, drying rack, and washing machine (since many places in Europe are energy usage conscious, they don't offer dryers). The bedroom was awesome with a comfortable large bed, two nightstands, and a great closet with two separate compartments, each with hanging space and four pull out drawers for clothes. My only comment about the apartment itself would be that the bathroom is really a one-person-at-a-time space. Not really an issue for the two of us since we never had to be in there simultaneously because we were never in a rush to get ready. The shower's clever design is brilliant for the limited space (the glass doors fold against the wall when not in use), however when the shower IS being used, it precludes the use of the sink, bidet, and toilet for anyone else. We stayed there in December, and it was a little chilly out, so we took advantage of the separate wall mounted heating units in the bedroom, living area, dining area, and bathroom - but only when we needed them if in that space. If you're looking for a place to stay in a quiet neighborhood south of the river, this will be great for you. The area is definitely where more of the locals live and eat. Many of the restaurants' menus were in Italian only - just an FYI. There was a charming little farmers' market set up one day in the small kid-friendly park just steps from the apartment. But it was a 15-20 minute walk to the main sights in Florence, and although it doesn't seem to be a big deal, we constantly had to decide if we wanted to go back to the apartment or stay out since going back to the apartment was more of an effort (and would mean a minimum of a 40 minute sojourn just to get there and back if we wanted to drop off something or enjoy a quick respite from the day's activities). Once we left the apartment for the day, we tended not to return until we were done for the day - and I, personally would have preferred something a little more centrally located for my first time in Florence. Again, as long as you know that and are prepared for it, it's a wonderful place to stay - particularly if you're not as interested in being right near the city center. I could not have more positive things to say about Elisa however -she was the perfect host.