The location is ideal...across the street from Accademia where David stands. Occasionally, an accordion player sat beneath our window to entertain the people in line to see David. It was sooooo wonderful and Italia! The grocery store is next door. We enjoyed our morning coffee and pastry at a little bistro around the corner at the traffic circle. You can catch a taxi there. The post office is within walking distance to exchange currency. Subway and MacDonald's are about 2 blocks away. The Duomo is closeby and you can walk to Ponte Vecchio if you have legs for it. It's a little further away, but worth the walk. Sonia is a dear and very helpful. She speaks several languages. The only drawback is carrying your luggage up 3 flights of stairs. No elevator...but then, it's Italy and the building has charm. When we left, Sonia said, "See you next year?" That is a good possibility. I really enjoyed our stay and Florence in general. Oh, and the apartment has a washer.