We have been to Italy numerous times, and probably have made at least 12 separate trips to Florence. Back in the day, we stayed in pensiones with the bathroom in the hall; later, we graduated to modest hotels; but when we decided we wanted to spend more than just a few days in this wonderful city, we started renting vacation apartments so that we could eat in occasionally, and have more space at a fairly modest cost.
Cristiana's apartment near the Ponte Vecchio is absolutely wonderful. It is clean, well-equipped, spacious, comfortable, elegantly decorated and amazingly well-located. The view from the apartment of the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio is perfectly gorgeous, and thrilling to those of us who love Florence. It's the best place we've ever stayed at in Florence without a doubt.
It's a short walk to the Pitti Palace, as the apartment is on the somewhat less busy side of the river. On this trip we got to explore more of the Oltrarno that we had never seen, in spite of the fact that we had been to Florence so many times before. It's a short walk to an excellent supermarket, where you can stock up on anything you may need including fresh bread daily. We also loved the Mercato Centrale, where we bought the most delicious fresh Pecorino cheese with truffles. There are all kinds of wonderful foods there, and theyve remodeled the second floor; it's now filled with restaurants.
I've seen the Merchant Ivory film "A Room with a View" at least twice, and have read the novel once or twice. I brought a copy of the book to read while in Florence on this most recent trip. What fun!
Cristiana, who has a good command of English, was always friendly, responsive and helpful with information and suggestions.
We are planning to return next year. Can't wait!