My fiancée and I spent 5 nights in Alessandra's place last week and had a wonderful experience. Alessandra was away when we arrived, so her husband Francesco and friend Monica let us in. They were very friendly greeted us with a bottle of wine, oriented us with the apt., and Monica left us her phone number in case we needed anything. Alessandra was also available via AirBnb message. We got to meet Alessandra toward the end of our stay, as we had told her we planned to do laundry while in Florence, so she kindly purchased a drying rack and brought it by when she was back in town.

The apartment was very clean and as lovely as it appears in the photos. The wooden ceilings and shelving give it an old world feel, and all of the books and beautiful art make it warm and inviting. It was such a wonderful space to be in and come back to at the end of the day; we talked about how we'd like to come back and spend a month. The kitchen is charmingly decorated and well-equipped with everything you'd need if you wanted to stay in and cook - pots and pans, dishes, kitchen tools, etc. There's also coffee, tea, and some spices and jams. The bathroom is also great - nicely decorated, fluffy towels, and plenty of hot water. Note that while the shower was fine for us, the stall is on the small side. If you are a bigger person, I think it would be a tight squeeze.

The location is perfect; only a block or two off the San Spirito piazza. It's easily walkable to all the sites, but far enough away to not be in the middle of tourist crowds around the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, etc. There are many shops and restaurants nearby (including a bakery on the ground floor of the building, which smelled amazing each morning). There is some street noise, which we managed by closing the windows and using earplugs.

The only thing that was less than ideal for us was the mattress, which we found quite hard and uncomfortable. We did adjust to it after the first couple nights, though. Besides, my fiancée loved the apartment so much that she said she didn't care if the bed was made of nails; she'd still want to stay there. We both highly recommend Alessandra's place and hope to stay there again!