WOW! WOW! and WOW! This was the best decision I've made in choosing a rental and for many reasons.
1. LOCATION! You are in walking distance to all of the main places to see - Accademia Gallery, the Central Market, Duomo, Ponte Vecchio (just down the street), Arno River (a block away), a 15th century bridge, incredible restaurants, Boboli Gardens, Pitti Palace, a doctor's office that can do a Covid test and provide a certificate to fly home if needed, Palazzo Medici, Uffizi (down the street), Leonardo Museum, and so much more! There are great restaurants all around. Beside the apartment is a fabric store where the owner and his wife sell beautiful Italian fabrics. There's a lovely little shop across the street with some quick essentials - fruits, vegetables, water, alcohol, and more. The street itself is historic and incredibly old. Horse-drawn carriages go by all day and the sounds of their shoes against the stone street is BEAUTIFUL. I enjoyed listening to it and even took one of those rides, having the driver drop us off at the apartment door.
2. The hostess- Clementina - I can't say enough! She communicates fast and efficiently. I went for my anniversary with my husband. I wanted to find a singer or violinist to serenade my husband from the street below our window. She took the time to find someone!!! She did it quickly and helped to coordinate everything from the timing of the violinist's arrival to letting him in to provide the last song in the lobby of the apartment building. The acoustics are amazing. This wouldn't have happened without her. She even videoed the event and made sure the violinist had a safe place to perform from. She is truly a treasure of a human being and deserves to have her place booked up year round. She is respectful, kind, lovely, and cares about your happiness. That is invaluable when you're traveling. Checkout was incredibly easy and so was arrival. She greeted us when we arrived, told us about the property, gave us a map with critical information, and circled the key areas to visit. We LOVE her!
3. The apartment! OH MY! It is prettier than anything the photos show. You see a snapshot in the photos. Walking through it, from the beautiful wood double doors on that historic street all the way to the last corner of any room is just beautiful. The flooring is stunning, the colors match, and everything is great quality. She even has little ice trays in the freezer - needed in the hot summer. The two air conditioners made coming back to the apartment so very nice! The bedroom is gorgeous and overlooks a pretty courtyard. The curtains throughout are custom and super long with pulls to open and close them. The cold AC in the bedroom made relaxing even better. The bed was comfortable and we loved the pillows. The bedding was very comfortable. I slept solidly in that room. It is well appointed. There are two tables to dine at - one formal with lovely custom covers and the other in the kitchen by the AC where you can cool off even more. We could not have been happier. We enjoyed bringing home groceries and making pasta and sandwiches every day. I forgot to mention the gorgeous wood beam ceilings that have painted designs. From either shower, you can look up and see these beautiful ceilings. They are in the living room too. There is even a prayer stand (not sure what they are called) that you can use for prayers. I took time to pray and share my gratitude for such a special and historic place. You are also only one floor up and have the choice of stairs or elevator. Not all apartments have an elevator option. This one does! The WiFi is LIGHTNING FAST! You'll know you're somewhere very special the moment you walk through the lobby doors.
If you see Clementina's place available and don't book it, you will not know what you're missing! Get it while you can. It is a very special place with a treasure of a host. It rivals any apartments in major cities I've stayed in around the world. Will stay there again if/when we come back to one of the most incredible cities in the world - Florence. 10 stars!