Mariolina make our trip to Florence SPECTACULAR ! The apartment was far more than we could have imagined or hoped for. Every time we walked in, it felt like coming home. Very elegant and well maintained, with a truly gracious "Florentine" feel ... arched brick ceilings, beautiful furniture and appointments, 2 comfortable king size beds, and 2 very nice bathrooms one with a shower and the other with a tub - i loved having a relaxing soak in the tub after a day exploring Florence!. There is a spacious living room, and full kitchen! The entrance from the street opens into a beautiful (and large) foyer, which made it that much nicer. The apartment over all is very large and spotlessly clean. As with many historic places - there are some stairs, so if you have mobility issues, keep that in mind. The owners obviously care about the place.
The location could not be better. We felt very safe (both with the location, and with the apartment itself). Steps away from the Duomo, the Piazza della Signoria, and Santa Croce ... I can't imagine a better location in all of Florence.
Maiolina (and her lovely mother) are incredibly gracious and helpful. Mariolina speaks English very well, and being a native of Florence, is very knowledgeable and helpful with any questions.
If you are coming by car, there are a few options nearby for parking - just keep in mind that this is Florence - narrow streets and many one ways, as well as many pedestrian streets - so a gps or at least good map skills are handy! once settled - finding your way to and from the apartment couldn't be easier.
This was our first experience with Airbnb, and I was a little unsure of what to expect - but this experience ended up really making our trip to Florence even better than I had hoped. I will defiantly try to stay here again when I return to Florence. There is nothing I could suggest that could have made it any better. THANK YOU, MARIOLINA ! We LOVED LOVED LOVED it !