Maddalena was a lovely hostess. It was raining when we arrived in Florence, and she came to the train station to meet us to help us find her apartment. Her place was lovely, on a quiet street, near many excellent restaurants and shops, and easily within walking distance of many museums. She reviewed a map of the city with us and recommended several restaurants for us to try. Her home was lovely and very clean, with two bathrooms and a washing machine, which was very nice to have for our family. We were having problems with our cell phone service, and she even helped us to contact the cell phone company and get our phone working!