Generally, our family of three really enjoyed our two-night stay at Lorenzo's apartment (Santa Croce) - it was/is spacious, clean and comfortable. It is the ONLY place we booked over our week-long introduction to Italy that provided two pillows for each of us and FANS to use while the warm tail-end of summer was in full swing! (How are tourists supposed to know that nation-wide use of A/C ends in September when hotels and inns advertise its availability?!)
Our main concern is that of communication. At the outset of our rental, Lorenzo replied to our questions almost immediately, including recommending a parking garage down the street. When it came closer to our travel time, I messaged Lorenzo to share an email address he could reach us at, once we had arrived in Italy (as cell phone calls/texts would be rendered useless on our foreign devices, by then). Surprisingly, no response acknowledging my attempt at easier communication was received.
The day before our arrival in Florence, we received an email from an associate of Lorenzo's (Eduardo) asking us for an expected arrival time (confirming my last message was indeed received). We provided a specific hour-long 'window', arrived when we said we would, and waited to be greeted. No-one appeared and for the next 40 minutes we scrambled to find someone who could provide us WiFi access so that we could check our email for an update. Sure enough, another email was there from Eduardo, asking us to call(!) to let him know when we had arrived. Fortunately, the same helpful person who shared their WiFi used her phone to call on our behalf, and Eduardo hurried to admit us into the apartment.
We did not need to use the kitchen facilities during our visit (except to wash a few eating utensils), but we woke the first morning to find puddles of water on the kitchen floor - the refrigerator had defrosted. We tried contacting Eduardo immediately to inform Lorenzo of this potential problem (the water continued to form on the floor throughout our stay), but did not receive any acknowledgement. Meanwhile, we used towels to sop up the water to prevent slipping/falling and damage to this lovely apartment (and possibly the dwelling located below).
So apart from the shaky beginning and the subsequent "radio silence" from our host and his associate, we thoroughly enjoyed the space and would recommend it highly for large parties of interested visitors. The beds were very comfortable and having two bathrooms was an added bonus.
If you can work around the communication issues explained here, you are bound to enjoy your stay at Santa Croce while you explore the wonders Firenze has to offer. Thank you for the use of your space, Lorenzo.