Francesca greeted us warmly, even though our train had been delayed and we arrived after the agreed-upon check-in. She annotated a map of Firenze with the locations of restaurants, cafes, enotecas, grocery stores, etc. We were able to get to only a couple of the recommended restaurants, but those that we did patronize were exceptional. Francesca was fluent in English, which was very helpful given the state of my Italian.

Francesca’s apartment was huge and beautiful, with lots of windows and light, and a nice little balcony. The fridge, freezer, washing machine, etc., seemed new. There was a ton of room to spread out, as well as more than ample dresser space. Just a lovely apartment.

The neighborhood is wonderful, the bounty of which we discovered too late (as we were so busy heading off on day trips). The aforementioned restaurants, cafes, enotecas, grocery store were literally right down the street. Nearby was a park (with a carousel) that looked wonderful. Despite the presence of the commercial entities down the street, it was very much a quiet, residential neighborhood.

I highly recommend both Francesca and her fabulous apartment. Grazie, Francesca!