Maurizio is a gentleman and a scholar. It was truly a pleasure staying with him at Casa Alda. While he does not speak much English, he's a pro with Google Translate, which he used while communicating with my boyfriend who does not speak any Italian. For me though, it was delightful getting to hear the stories and the history which he shared in his native tongue. He is extremely knowledgeable about the area and passionate about his city and making sure that you get to experience it's beauty. They also set a wonderful table of traditional regional fare for breakfast. The house is a bit outside the city center in a lovely neighborhood, just over the river, and while Maurizio let us know which buses to take, the walk was nice enough that we never ended up taking advantage of it. I only wish that our time had not been so short. It would have been lovely to have been able to explore the city at more leisure and to have spent more time talking with Maurizio...the next time we're in Florence!