We had a lovely stay at Sumiyo's apartment, which is located in the most perfectly central location in Florence in the San Niccolo area. The apartment itself was incredibly clean, with all the modern amenities (great shower, air conditioning, wifi, etc.). From there we could walk to the Duomo and it's a stone's throw away from the Ponte Vecchio. As Sumiyo was on holiday, her friend met us and gave us the keys and was available to us whenever we needed anything. Sumiyo also left us bottled water, some snacks and a great map outlining some local highlights, which was incredibly thoughtful.

The street below can be quite loud at night, but we always bring ear plugs so it was not a problem for us. It's more to do with the stone buildings than the actual apartment; noise just tends to echo upwards so I think this is not a problem specific to this place.

If you want a fantastic, local experience in an apartment close to everything, I highly recommend Sumiyo's place .We will be back!