What a wonderful apartment. Maurizio is a fantastic host - the little touches like the fruit, coffee and food in the fridge, shower gel and hand wash, bread sticks etc are so appreciated. It means that a late arrival doesn't mean you can't have coffee in the morning! He even meets you at the station if he can - a true gentleman.
But more than anything else, is the apartment itself - it has two very large rooms - the bedroom and the living room and a small but functional kitchen and a new bathroom with a good shower. It is all tastefully decorated and well-furnished with a nice big table to eat at, a real pleasure to be in - almost a crime to leave it. And a real home to come back to. The wi fi is excellent and works very well. The bed is comfortable and there are lots of extra blankets and cushions.
We used to live in the area and always come back to it when we visit friends. It is the most authentic, traditional, working, liveable and lived in part of Florence and within easy reach of everything in the city - a stone's throw from Piazza Santo Spirito and the Pitti Palace. But.. and most wonderfully - this apartment is in a side street and is miraculously for Florence, very quiet with a view of trees in the children's park on the other side of the road and the lady who feeds the cats there everyday!
Florence is a noisy city, but this is an oasis of calm. There are lots of shops and restaurants, bars and cafes within easy distance - and really they are almost all good quality and OK places to go to - that's one of the beauties of this part of Florence - tourists come here, but it isn't 'touristy'. Thank you Maurizio for sharing your lovely apartment with us!