Giancarlo was waiting us as we arrived from the train station. It was a short walk with all our luggage. He then promptly helped us to take our luggage upstairs to the apartment & showed us around. He was very helpful with telling us where the closest grocery store was & the restaurants. He also had 2 large bottles of water waiting for us which was a nice touch in the summer heat. It was about a 15 minute walk to museums & sight seeing. It was nice that the apartment was close to the river which guided us home every evening.
One thing that did happen was the air conditioner went out in the larger bedroom. With 90 degree temperatures, we were hot. Giancarlo got the AC repaired but it started leaking again. We so appreciate his staying on top of it but never got it repaired while we were there. There was a fan & AC in the other bedroom & we did our best to stay cool in the evenings. He & I texted frequently which was good because we knew he had someone working on it while we were away for the day. He even sent me a picture of the man working on the AC. He really did his best and we know things like that happen.
The apartment was big enough for 5 of us to feel like we had our own space. The kitchen was small but hidden so when the adults woke up in the morning, we were not disturbing anyone which was nice. Having 2 bathrooms was nice too but 1 of the kids turned on the shower & it sprayed everywhere. He learned quickly how to use it without making a mess. The beds were very comfortable. Towels were supplied. We also used the clothes washer several times which was helpful. Because of our flight leaving in the afternoon, we were able to leave our luggage in the hallway while we did a bit more sightseeing. We even met the neighbors when we came to get the luggage & they were very friendly. We felt safe where we were staying & felt like our luggage was safe while we were away in the morning of our departure. Giancarlo was an excellent host. Hope to visit Florence again in the future!