I based my decision to stay at Casa Caterina on the photos, location and price, but especially the comments from the previous renters. The pictures do not reflect how beautiful this apt is. The art, accents and furnishings are classy, like you would choose for your own home, not from a second-hand store. The home is comfortable and bright with large wooden shutters, stylish tile work and wood floors. The décor has been updated some since the pictures. There is now a computer in the master bedroom so that everyone has internet access…a real plus for my 18 year old daughter. I loved having a washer/dryer in house, but it took 1 ½ hours to wash and about the same to dry. Maybe front load washers take longer than top loads. The building has electrical limitations so you cannot use the washer and dryer at the same time. But we used the time to catch up on sleep, journaling, reading, or internet. They have a drying rack which we used because the clothes dried quite nicely hung out during the day while we were sightseeing. We ate breakfast in so appreciated the refrigerator and dishwasher. And we loved the very large bathroom. The master has a half bath which is good for getting up in the middle of the night. The bed was comfortable and although the apt is only a short block from the Duomo, it was relatively quiet.Filippo, who speaks good English, was very responsive in arranging the rental and in the follow up. He was working at the time we arrived so a well dressed, handsome man (found out later this was his father, Marco) showed us the place. Although Marco does not speak much English, we were able to communicate enough to get settled. Filippo had to come twice to finalize our payment as we had some money issues our first day in Florence. I felt terrible about causing him the inconvenience, but he was very gracious. Unfortunately we never met Caterina, but I’m certain she’s as lovely as her apartment. My only regret is that we were not able to stay longer – we only stayed 3 nights in early June 2008. Not nearly enough to see all that Florence has to offer. I would highly recommend Casa Caterina to others.Thanks Filippo & family!
