Our stay at Giulio's apartment was fabulous! This third-flour space sits in a huge and stunningly renovated attic space with soaring ceilings and enormous windows that look out on a vast piazza, a medieval cathedral and the homes of ordinary Florentines. Foodies will melt at the sight of the fully-stocked chef’s kitchen, lazier guests will appreciate the very comfortable beds and dark, quiet rooms and intellectuals can spend hours perusing the hundreds of books. (Hint: There is a huge chess set in the upstairs loft). Given this summers’ heat wave and “normal” daily highs of 37 degrees centigrade, the importance of the air conditioning in this apartment cannot be overstated. The units all function very well to cool this large space. Overall, the design, furnishings and décor in this apartment harken back to the grand elegance of previous centuries while containing all the latest amenities and tech of this one. It is the perfect synthesis of old and new with lots of room for larger groups or families to spread out.
Most notably this apartment is not in the congested centre of Florence: it sits on a quiet square on the south side of the Arno in a residential neighbourhood where you can live and relax like a real Italian instead of a frazzled tourist. A 3-4 minute walk leads you to groceries, fresh bread, gelato, a butcher and the very lively restaurant scene and weekend market of Piazza Santo Spirito. In just 15 minutes of walking you can knock off all the usual suspects on your Florence bucket list (Duomo, Accademia, Pontevechhio, etc.)
Many additional touches were extremely appreciated including having bottled water stocked in the fridge, staff to help bring suitcases up to the apartment and Arlene met us at the apartment to show us around and get oriented. She also was available to come daily to clean if needed which was unexpected but appreciated. It was a perfect spot and we would absolutely stay at Giulio's apartment again when we are back in Florence. Such a wonderful memory for our family. If this apartment is available, do not hesitate to book it! You will not be disappointed!