On the day of our arrival we were warmly greeted by Roshini, who is the housekeeper of Casa Lilli. An hour after we arrived, Cristina’s brother and sister-in-law came to greet us and we all had a nice conversation with other guests who were staying at the BnB. Before we arrived, Cristina had given us a list of phone numbers, in case we needed help or had any questions. (Cristina was out of town the day we arrived, but all went smoothly, with Roshini’s presence).

The house, terrace and garden were exactly as described. Actually, the back garden and terrace were even prettier than we had anticipated. The house itself feels very much like a home, with framed pictures on the furniture showing us happy family times from the past. The rooms are spacious, with very high ceilings, which make for an elegant setting, appropriate for a stay in Florence.

We had access to all rooms in the house (living room, dining room and kitchen). Though we were often out for meals, when we were home for a meal, we cooked in the kitchen and ate in the dining room. We kept perishables on a shelf in the fridge, and were also assigned space in a cupboard to store groceries. There are pots, pans and dishware available.

We stayed at Casa Lilli for almost 4 weeks. While there in June, two of the 4 guestrooms were filled. In July, all 4 rooms had guests. All guests shared the two bathrooms. We all seemed to have different schedules so there were no problems with access to the bathrooms (or to the kitchen). We found the other guests to be friendly, interesting, refined people, from 3 different European countries and also from the US. The atmosphere among the guests was friendly, but not obtrusive.

Cristina returned from her trip, 5 days after we arrived. She came right away to greet us. We then saw her about twice a week, and each time we would have a nice chat. We also had her phone number, if we ever needed to contact her. There was never a need to because everything went very smoothly for us during our stay.

Roshini, the housekeeper, keeps the place perfectly clean and orderly. The main areas of the house are cleaned daily. Each guest’s room is thoroughly cleaned weekly. Roshini arranges pretty flowers (from the garden) in vases in the hallways and the dining room, which also gives a lovely touch to the elegant home.

My husband and I look forward to returning to Casa Lilli in the future, knowing that we will be well taken care of. Casa Lilli is a peaceful, restful haven away from the tourist crowds, an island of tranquility in a quiet neighborhood, with excellent bus service (with bus stops two short blocks away). We highly recommend Casa Lilli as a civilized, comfortable and convenient place to stay while in Florence.