Via del Romito is the lively central road of Romito district of Florence, which extends just outside the historic center and the ztl (reduced trafic area) and which occupies part of the area between the Fortezza da Basso, Santa Maria novella and the Rifredi area, 20 minutes walk from the historic city center.
Ideal for couples or small groups of friends, the neighborhood offers everything you may need during your stay: two steps away you find banks, pharmacies, bars, restaurants, pastries shops, bakeries, laundries, hair dresser bus stop, supermarket.
Above you will note the description provided by Liza on her AirBnB listing.
I have highlighted important misrepresentations.
The lively central road is a very heavily trafficked one directional street with streaming traffic. The photos on her website of the street are mysteriously absent of any traffic whatsoever! The street in fact is very noisy in the morning with lots of motorcycle and car noises just outside with bedroom window as both bedrooms are on the street side of the apartment. The double paned windows barely muffle the noise.
The location is not a 20 minutes walk from the historic city center unless you are a speed walker. The sidewalk is narrow and as it is adjacent to such a heavily trafficked street it is a very unpleasant walk.
There is nothing two steps away! There are no cafes or even a park within walking distance. There is a produce store a few doors away and a sad coffee bar with slot machines! But there is nothing else to eat nearby with the exception of a pork tripe sandwich stand in an adjacent square.
There is a bus stop from which you can wait 40 minutes or so for the number 20 to take you into the Historico Centro. The bus ride itself is not a long one fortunately.
The bathroom
The photo completely misleads as to the size of the shower. The shower itself is a rickety corner with slick floor. I placed a towel in the bottom of the shower so I wouldn’t slip. I used the only other towel as a bathroom floor mat as none was provided. I STILL SLIPPED AND FELL. There are no grips, no anti slip anything anywhere. Very dangerous and I was in pain for the balance of my remaining vacation. I still hurt and will see a physical therapist/doctor as soon as I can get an appointment.
In addition, the doors to the shower were inoperable. As I arrived earlier than check in time, Liza asked me to wait for the apartment to be made ready assuring me that there were plenty of cafes around. No. In any case, I returned exhausted to find the cleaner working on the apartment. He graciously allowed me in to wait. I was so grateful. However, I heard him trying to get the shower doors to work properly. I noticed a piece of plastic at the drain when I was showering. I didn’t think anything of it, but later the door simply collapsed and came off the hinges. Plastic bits everywhere.
Sleeps four.
Only if the two who will sleep in the upstairs bedroom are children or dwarfs. The photo does not disclose the signs as you walk up the stairs admonishing you to watch you head. Nor is there any indication that one could not sit upright in the upstairs bed.
Then there is the rain. The skylight leaks and the tile floor in the living room was wet and created still another slip and fall hazard. I pointed this out to the host who said that she had no idea that it leaked and thought it might have been left open. She told me the controls were on the wall. I had not touched them but after she advised me I tried to close then leaking skylight. It was not open. It just leaks. As rain was forecast for much of the week, I wasn’t interested in dealing with a leaky roof.
Bottom Line:
Extremely cheap furnishings. Very uncomfortable beds. Cheap scratchy sheets. Cheap flimsy polyester blankets.
One thin bath towel and one hand towel on the bed.
I had booked the place for 9 days!!! What was I supposed to do. Do laundry?
Transparency counts.
The photos are staged very well with bowls of fruit and glasses of wine. The host provided nothing. Not even salt and pepper or sugar. There was some coffee and a few tea bags. There was a bottle of water with a stopper probably tap water. Not so much as a sealed bottle of water.
I spent way too much time dealing with the AirBnb app trying to get some accommodation for an early cancellation. I spoke to Liza about it and she offered nothing more than the AirBnb cancellation policy. I feel I should get a substantial refund and will accept nothing less.
Liza told me that being a host is her family business and would like know how her service can be improved. I offer this honest appraisal of my stay in hopes that she will provide better accommodations or at a minimum an HONEST and TRANSPARENT listing of what her apartment is really like.
In speaking with Liza, she seemed to think that I didn’t like the location because it was not in the historic center of Florence. I let her know that it had nothing to do with not being in the heavily touristic area as I did not want to be in the center. I however did expect neighborhood amenities to be “steps” away. I did expect a decent apartment that resembled the description and the photos. I did not get that.