Great location. I was frequently lost in Florence but getting back to the apartment was never a problem. I would just ask a local which way to the Arno River and I was back in minutes. The apartment itself was fine. It's about a block from the Arno so there is no real view of it from the apartment. What you see are a couple of hotels and lots of tourists milling about.
Barbara's housekeeper was still there when I checked in at 4:30. I told Barbara that would be okay. But honestly, I thought by 4:30 she would be finishing up and the apartment would be mine. Not the case. The housekeeper was on the phone the whole time and kind of annoyed that I was there. I didn't get a walk-thru just a list of rules. That wasn't a problem until I was checking out and realized I didn't know what to do with the keys. I was running late for my flight and had to find Barbara's instructions fast. She wrote that there were issues in the past with putting the keys in the wrong mailbox. Sure enough, in my haste, I put them in the wrong mailbox too. I had no issues paying to have a locksmith get them out. Barbara wasn't too happy but it seemed to be worked out amicably. As for the rest of my experience I would have to say the best part was the location. Regarding the rest, here goes:
1) The apartment was very noisy well past midnight. Tourists can get loud. I used a rain machine on my phone to try to drown it out.
2) The air conditioner was broken. It wasn't warm but since the windows had to remain shut for "security" reasons, I needed some circulation in the air. And if you're one of those people who needs the window open a crack when you sleep, this apartment would not work for you.
3) Two of the three pillow cases smelled of dust or something not too fresh. I just used the third one so that worked out fine.
4) I was kind of put off by the fee for extra towels and for the price list for snacks. I just got my own snacks. And who needs packaged snacks in Florence anyway.
5) The apartment is very orderly and well stocked. The furniture however feels second hand so if you're expecting bright, shiny and new, this isn't it. The photos on the site are very indicative of the condition of what's there.
All in all, the apartment served it's purpose and as I've said, was in a great location.