My mother and I had a wonderful stay at Mauro's apartment in Florence. The location was perfect in Piazza Santa Croce, itself a wonderful square with an historic church, and close to all the main attractions (e.g. about 7 minute walk to the Uffizi, maybe 15 minutes walk to the Accademica, or take the easy minibus that stops in the square as we did). The apartment is totally set up for everything you need, is very cozy, and is clearly a well-loved home - it was their family home for many years. Mauro's parents welcomed us when we arrived, and took the time to explain all the little quirks of the place. They also left us a bottle of wine and delicious fruit - very kind! The utilities were paid separate but seemed quite reasonable - we paid 20 euros for a week, and we did several loads of laundry, cooked many times, etc. FYI for Americans, this apartment is on the 4th floor (called 3rd in Europe). My mother has some walking difficulties so this was a little hard sometimes after a long day of sightseeing, but she managed. Anyways, it was worth it - this was our favorite place we stayed during our Italy trip - would come back in a heartbeat! P.s. We found a great intimate local restaurant called Mareima on the street across the square from Santa Croce church. Cross the square, turn right, and it's a block or two down on the right.