If you’re looking for a grand aristocratic apartment in the heart of Florence, this is it. The apartment has high ceilings and tall windows and long draperies and reproduction artwork of some of Italy’s greatest paintings. Very classy and Florentine-feeling. The bathrooms are modern and one in particular is very spacious. The kitchen lags a bit behind (both in terms of updating and in terms of how it’s stocked), but it does the job unless you’re planning to cook a feast worthy of the long dining table several rooms over. The terrace has divine views overlooking the Duomo on one side and the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio on the other…through a forest of old antennas and satellite dishes, of course, but that’s what keeps it real. A few words of caution: (1) the stairs are brutal, particularly with luggage, and don’t think -- as we did -- that you’re going to be any better at handling them than all the reviewers who have gone before; (2) if you’re driving a car into town, the nearest parking garage (at 25 euros per day) is a 10-15 minute walk away, through the Piazza della Signoria, which means it’s a long and exhausting and awkward trip with the luggage; (3) you won’t be dealing with the owner, you’ll be dealing with a property management team who’s checking in multiple guests each day in properties all over town (this worked rather well for the most part, as we found the property management staff responsive and prompt). We did lose hot water for more than 24 hours due to a malfunction of the water heater, and ice-cold showers weren’t pleasant. Despite a call to the property management company, it wasn’t fixed until we got back to the apartment at nightfall on the second day without hot water. Apparently, our response (“we have water, just no hot water”) when we first reported the issue and were initially told that the problem must be with the municipality, which we knew couldn’t be the case, was misunderstood. But when we called again on the second evening, a repairman was promptly sent out, the water heater was re-ignited, and we were happy again. The wifi is slow, and there was a problem with one of the shelves in the refrigerator (it was either broken or improperly attached) and our juice spilled out onto the floor when the door was opened on our first morning, but otherwise we enjoyed the apartment immensely. It’s well-located in the heart of Florence, there’s a spacious rooftop deck with 360 degree views, and there’s a wonderful little café (Birreria Centrale) just outside the front door for those nights when you’re feeling less ambitious.