San Frediano is wonderful. The location is close to everything but steps away from the hustle of the main center of Florence. The stairs are a killer and we are very active. The stairway is dark, dirty and smells. The building in a busy nightlife section on Borgo San Frediano. We couldn't sleep without closing the windows and turning on AC. Even then, it was only quiet for about 2 hours from 3am to 5am.
Barbara's place is beautiful but the location and issue with electricity made it a rough stay for us.