My friend and I will be in Florence in mid-October for 6-7 nights. We are looking for a great and AFFORDABLE apartment during our stay. We would like at least 1 decent quality queen size bed, a kitchen, a private bathroom with tub and/ or shower, some character and a view from the room or a terrace would be nice too. Oh and if it happened to have a friendly, helpful owner/ manager, that would be incredible. Any experiences with places that you would recommend would be fantastic or websites that you can refer me to would be nice too. (We are already using vrbo.com.) Thank you in advance.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, United States
64 posts
Matty, For Florence, very good idea to ask for a recommendation on a specific place to rent. In fact, I would only rent if you can find someone who can give you a first hand account of a specific rental. I am a frequent VRBO/Homeaway user and had romantic notions about renting a place vs. staying at a hotel. My experience wasn't so great - it wasn't horrible - I just think I would have been better off staying at a traditional hotel (with breakfast included). Florence is an old city, so things like plumbing, elevators (may not exist), and appliances may be completely different from your expectations (not in a good way). This is not to say you can't find a great rental - I'm sure they exist. If you are unable to get a first hand recommendation and identify a couple candidiates from the rental sites, I'd come on this site and ask if any body has stayed in those places.
Posted by
Lorraine, Québec, Canada
9 posts
Hi Matty, we spent a month in Florence on Via De Castellani, immediately opposite the Uffizi Gallery. The apartment is called Podere Vignola Florence and you can get information at poderevignola.com (they also have an agritourismo in the tuscan hills) The apartment is very well situated, within easy walking distance of the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo etc. It is quite large, very clean. The down side, no terrace and it is a 3rd floor walkup. We would rent it again without hesitation. In fact, we just spent the month of May at their agritourismo in Sieci, just outside Florence. Wonderful owners, very accommodating. Louis
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Matty; Try Sleep in Italy.com for apartments in Florence. Their site is slow and frustating, but there are a couple that seem to fit what you are looking for. Good luck gerri
Posted by
Raleigh, NC, USA
29 posts
Matty, This was a recommendation to me from someone on this site who knows the person who runs it: www.traveltuscany.net
Posted by
Florence
362 posts
Not quite sure what your AFFORDABLE is, but this is a great apartment for 2: http://www.palazzouguccioni.com/apartments/atmosfera.html I think it gets discounted from the published rate after 3 nights.
Posted by
Redmond, WA
295 posts
We spent a week in July on the via Rondinelli, two blocks from the duomo; the apartment was fantastic, roomy, clean, fully equipped, and reasonable. Here's the site:http://www.residenzarondinelli.it/eng/apartment2+2.php
Posted by
Mission Viejo, CA, USA
5 posts
I just got back and I stayed in a nice apartment in Florence. It is on the opposite side of the Arno River from the Ufizzi, but very close to where you can walk to the other side. It is owned by Relais Modern which is a B&B in Florence. It was clean, however, it is right above the square and you will want to sleep with earplugs. I always do when I travel so it wasn't a problem for me. Their website is http://www.relaismodern.com. I dealt with Fulvio who was very helpful.