This is a very basic, rustic hostel, not at all the family-operated B&B that I was expecting. Noone was there to open the door upon my arrival, so I was very fortunate when another guest arrived to open the door. I waited upstairs, in a make-shift reception area for approx. 1 hour until Nicolas' employee came to give me keys. If you have allergies to air-freshners, you will not want to be in this space very long-- the air freshner is VERY strong. The young man who came to greet me was very helpful, and courteous. The room was clean but the curtains were worn, and dusty. The window was jammed and would not close, and the air-con remote was not in the room. However, Nicolas' crew corrected this while I went on my city tour. The best features of the room: comfortable mattress, and pillows and airconditioned!! The croissants and instant coffee were also very good. there are 2 bathrooms to share with guests in 5 bedrooms--but I was lucky that I never had to wait. The bathrooms are clean, but I recommend using rubber slippers for the shower. This hostel is conveniently located near the Firenze train station (also a meeting location for tour operators), and at my walking pace, it took me 5 to 7 minutes to get there. As such, it is a great launching pad to other areas . From here, I went to Sn Gimignano, Sienna and Cinq Terra. As a solo traveller, I was slightly concerned with personal safety to and from the train station because the streets appeared to be a bit isolated, but in fact, there are people walking on those streets even at about midnight, and it was OK.. Would I stay here again? Maybe.