Florence Apartment

Guest: Liz and Perry (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Date of Stay: 09/20/11 Review Submitted: 11/06/11

This apartment was lovely -- well located, well equipped, quiet, and very comfortable. We would definitely stay there again. The owner is lovely, helpful, and personable. We were delighted to find the apartment and to meet the owner. You will not be disappointed. The apartment is a 5 minute walk from the Duomo and en easy distance to everything in Florence. There are grocery and bakeries near by. There are also an abundance of good restaurants within a short walk. The apartment is up a few flights and there isn't an elevator but that was not a problem at all for us or for the guests in the second apartment. It's definitely worth the very minor inconvenience -- one we didn't notice after the first walk up!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, girls getaway, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Exceeded Expectations!!!

Guest: MARIA (ENCINITAS, CALIFORNIA)
Date of Stay: 10/19/11 Review Submitted: 11/04/11

This was our first trip to Florence with our two kids (11&9). Prior to our trip, my husband and I spent a lot of time searching for an apartment that would meet our needs: central location, kid friendly and extra amenities! This apartment definitely exceeded our expectations!!! We felt right at home!! In addition, Claudia was a perfect hostess from beginning to end!! Even her e-mails exuded warmth and kindness! She was very punctual and extremely helpful with all our questions and inquiries. We had arrived around 7:30 pm from a long flight and the kids were hungry and tired so Claudia recommended Acadi, a restaurant directly across the street from the apartment. It was a perfect place to have our first italian meal. The best surprise was the amazing grapes and home made olive oil that was a welcome token from Claudia!! This was by far one of the most memorable vacations we've had! We all loved coming home to the apartment after a long day of sightseeing. Claudia had some wonderful restaurant recommendations but if there was one that stood out for us, it would definitely be Il Latini!! Great Service, Fun Atmosphere, Good Food and the best panna cotta!! As for the gelaterias, my kids rated Festival as their number one pick because of the selection and my husband and I love "Grom" for their Pistachio! As for the museums, we opted to get the 'Friends of Firenze" annual pass for a family of four! It was the best value! If you can, take a cooking class in Panzano with Chef Mimmo!! He's just the best! I just want to say thank you so much Claudia for making our trip memorable!! We will definitely recommend you to all our friends and we will make sure to come back and visit again!!! Elsoms Encinitas, California

Recommended for:Sightseeing, families with young children, girls getaway, families with teenagers.

WONDERFUL!

Guest: none (Eldersburg, Maryland)
Date of Stay: 09/13/11 Review Submitted: 10/30/11

Dear Claudia, Our stay in your lovely apartment made our visit to Florence a wonderful experience. The accomodations were the best we have stayed at using a VRBO! Marta greeted us with a wonderful smile even though we got lost and arrived later that we expected. Thank you, Marta! Claudia, your hospitality was beyond our expectations. The only thing that we missed was being able to meet you in person! Fondly, Michelle

Recommended for:Sightseeing.

Great location -- a real gem!

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 05/14/11 Review Submitted: 09/01/11

We rented this apartment for one month, and with one exception, it was wonderful! I had never been to Italy before and based my decision on traveler’s reviews and the description on VRBO. What we found was exactly what was described – a real gem. The apartment was spotless; the VRBO photos accurately depict the apartment’s charm and details. It is nicely furnished, complete with tour books and maps. The owner, Claudia Morace, is extraordinarily gracious, very helpful and a delight to met. She has taken great care and pride to provide her guests with a wonderful home while they are in Florence. When I arrived, I had just spent a week at a cooking school in Figline Valdarno and wanted to practice my new skills and recipes. Claudia even provided extra items for the kitchen for us, which was very nice. She told me about the nearby fresh market, an easy walk from the apartment. Going to the market became a daily ritual. We’d decide what was for dinner each day based upon what looked great at the market. Once we got our bearings, we realized the apartment’s location was perfect. It was an easy walk to Santa Croce, the Arno, Duomo, Uffizi, Pitti Palace, etc; the choices of restaurants were fabulous, one directly across the street. The shopping opportunities, from specialty stores to the San Lorenzo market were abundant and nearby. The bus stop to take day trips to places like Fiesole is just a few blocks away. The train station is a bit farther, but an easy walk. We used the apartment as our home base to explore Tuscany. The trains are wonderful and made it easy to take day trips to Lucca, Siena, Pisa, etc, and longer trips to Venice and the Cinque Terre. The only negative were the unexpected extra costs for housekeeping. In all fairness to Claudia, part of our difficulty may have been our language difficulty with the housekeeper. I would definitely stay at the apartment again, I’d love to spend more time with Claudia, she’s great! However I will clarify how much we must use the housekeeper vs. what we can do for ourselves. As an aside, if you plan on going to Venice, add an extra day and go to the islands of Murano and Burano. Burano was the biggest surprise on my nearly two months in Italy, the colors are unbelievable – a photographer’s paradise!

Recommended for:Sightseeing, tourists without a car, girls getaway, adventure seekers, age 55+.

Both apartments for a big group of 11 people

Guest: Bill (-)
Date of Stay: 07/31/11 Review Submitted: 08/10/11

Hi Claudia, I wanted to write a note about our experience at your lovely 2 apartments in the great city of Florence. During our visit, we had stopped in 3 different points of Italy. Florence, Rome, and Positano. At each City, we had rented 2 apartments and by far the accommodations were the finest at your Pinti 1 & 2. It started before we even arrived in Italy, that you were there for all our questions and gave us wonderful advise. When we arrived, we were greeted by your helpful staff and surprised with some essentials that were left for us. ( milk, water, fruit, coffee and of best of all the homemade olive oil ). The biggest difference which was evident was how well appointed each apartment was. You had completely updated bathrooms, comfortable beds and furniture, ample linens and towels and just a home like feel. When we come back to Florence, we definitely know where to stay. Thanks you for your wonderful hospitality. Bill

Recommended for:

Wonderful!

Guest: Amy (Lake Oswego, OR)
Date of Stay: 07/06/11 Review Submitted: 07/25/11

We recently spent a week in this apartment and loved every minute of it! The home is spotlessly clean, so close to major sites, many good restaurants, the Sant' Ambrogio market...we walked everywhere. There were four of us, so we really appreciated the space and the two bathrooms! Claudia has thought of every single detail, which really makes this apartment feel so comfortable and like home. We just cannot say enough what a wonderful refuge this apartment is from the heat and busy streets of Florence. A very welcome touch was finding juice, milk, water, fruit and coffee waiting for us. Claudia's attention to detail makes this our favorite rental, maybe of all time! Claudia even called the cab company for us, to make sure we would have a ride to the airport in the wee hours of the morning. Thank you, Claudia, for such a wonderful stay in a beautiful city! We hope to return someday! Grazie mille! Amy, Greg, Hallie, and Emilie

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, families with young children, girls getaway, families with teenagers, age 55+.

92298

Guest: Cyndee (Carlsbad, California, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/02/11 Review Submitted: 07/23/11

My family recently returned home from a wonderful trip to Italy. The apartment was beautifully decorated and very clean. Instead of feeling like we were in a rental unit, we felt like we were staying at a friends home. There was even a big basket of fresh fruit on the kitchen table for our enjoyment and the refrigerator was filled with water, soda, milk, and juice. There was coffee and fresh made olive oil ( which we used one evening when we decided to stay in and cook). It was completely quiet and we walked to every attraction in the city, never once taking a taxi. The location was perfect. The owner Claudia was so helpful even before we arrived with information and making dinner reservations for our first evening in town. Claudia even took the train from her home to come to Florence and meet us. We had coffee, and great conversation, and now we have a wonderful new friend in her. I can't think of a single reason not to stay at this apartment, and even though there is no elevator, the stairs are easily navigated, wide enough to carry luggage up and down too (although Martina and her daughter carried all of it and would not let us assist them). Claudia helped with information about restaurants, train schedules, and everything we could think to ask about. Our stay here was delightful and we hope to one day return and meet with our lovely new friend Claudia again. Thank you Claudia for our little slice of heaven in Florence! Love from San Diego, California, Cyndee, Rankin, and, Devin McDaniel

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Delightful, comfortable, and wonderfully located

Guest: Boston Mom (Boston area)
Date of Stay: 06/25/11 Review Submitted: 07/19/11

Our family of four (two adults and two teenagers) spent a wonderful week in this lovely apartment. The well-equipped kitchen allowed us to take full advantage of the beautiful food market located just a few blocks away. We were walking distance from everything we wanted to see or do in Florence. And the air conditioning was a godsend in the steamy summer weather! Claudia was a wonderful resource; we were delighted to find a bowl of fresh fruit and a fridge stocked with cold drinks when we arrived. Couldn't have been nicer. And we had one of the best meals of our lives at Aquacotta, right around the corner.

Owner response:Dear Laurie, thank you very much for taking the time and write such a beautiful review. I really appreciate it and it will be very useful to me and to my guests. Thank you again Claudia

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, girls getaway, families with teenagers.

Home away from Home

Guest: Michelle (Indianapolis, IN)
Date of Stay: 07/03/11 Review Submitted: 07/19/11

We loved our Home away from Home on Borgo Pinti. Claudia is a very attentive owner, with many extra touches that made for a very enjoyable stay. She checked in on us and left us a cell phone to use while in Florence, such a nice touch. The location is fantastic, we walked everywhere. The apartment itself was very clean and the photos do a good job of capturing the feel of the apartment. It is nice and airy with high ceilings. The kitchen is well stocked, we cooked in one night and were pleasantly surprised to see when we checked the refrigerator that we had milk, juice and sparkling water for our use. Also a huge bowl of delicious nectarines on the kitchen table. My teenage daughters loved the bedroom, sitting area and their own bathroom upstairs. This apartment was our favorite on our Italian vacation. Thanks so much for such a lovely time Claudia! We highly recommend her beautiful apartment.

Owner response:thank you Michelle, for your beautiful review. I hope you will be back once again and I wish you a wonderful summer. Fondly Claudia

Recommended for:Sightseeing, romantic getaway, tourists without a car, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, age 55+.

Live history and Art

Guest: Mikhail (Wheeling, IL)
Date of Stay: 06/15/11 Review Submitted: 07/06/11

Perfect location, nice owner, beautiful place, friendly people and....... Thanks God and Claudia for wonderful week we spent in Florence- heart of live history and art. It's hard to describe and hard to forget: Giotto and Ghirlandaio, Brunelleschi and Donatello, Leonardo and Botticelli and more and more and more- So many geniuses in one place, You have to be proud of your history and your nation because You created and saved it for us. Bravo!Bravo! Bravo!

Owner response:Dear Mikhail, thank you for your beautiful review. It is always very helpful for me and for my future guests. I want to thank you also again for your gift. i really appreciate to listen to you playing your guitar like an orchestra, and your wonderful and sweet music. I hope we can meet eachother once again and best wishes to you all. Claudia

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, tourists without a car, girls getaway, adventure seekers, families with teenagers, age 55+.