Alessandra is a perfect host- kind, courteous, communicative and responsive to guests’ needs. The apartment is located within walking distance to the Giardino Bardini, Giardino Delle Rose, Forte Belvedere and Piazzale Michelangelo in one direction and Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti in the other. In the near locality are bars, restaurants, wine shop and supermarket Conad. The apartment itself is beautifully curated and clean. It combines antique timber ceilings with modern fittings. Alessandra has styled the interior and its furnishings in a charmingly romantic and welcoming manner - it exudes an air of sweet serenity. The sitting and dining areas are particularly tranquil. The kitchen and washer-dryer are highly functional. The two bathrooms are also highly functional - one has a spa bath (complete with candles and bath salts); the other has a shower; both have toilets and bidets. The bedrooms are spacious with large wardrobes; the bed linen is tasteful and in good condition. The windows appear double glazed and have shutters to block out the worst of the street noise. There is a charming glimpse of the Duomo’s cupola, Palazzo Vecchio and the Arno from the sitting room as well as a postcard view of the magnificent magnolia tree in the adjoining internal courtyard.
We loved the apartment however, we would be less than honest if we did not point out a couple of drawbacks. Firstly, the apartment is situated in a medieval palazzo and of course has no elevator. The first rise of stairs are very steep and narrow and not suitable for people with mobility problems, the aged and toddlers, or those with weak hearts. In saying this, Alessandra went out of her way to assist carry our luggage. Secondly, with the windows open in the street-facing bedrooms, the traffic noise from 8am to 11pm can be very noisy mainly because of the junction between two streets, the clattering sound made by small vans hitting the cobble stoned street surface and the relentless noise of motor bikes. My advice is to keep the windows closed when in the bedrooms. Neither of these issues caused us problems but we appreciate that may not be the case for everyone. Despite this, Alessandra’s apartment is one of the best we have stayed in Florence and we are happy to recommend it to others.