Florence Italy

Just a little advice If you want a better price and experience and got some flexibility, don't go in summer when everyone in the world goes.
Try late April early May. The weather is even better not so hot.

I understand that but its booked for July 8-13....thinking of the Santo Spirito area to stay vs. "downtown"
Florence

ok stayed tuned someone will chime in

If you go to TripAdvisor and look at the map of Florence with all of the accommodations in your price range displayed, you'll find almost all if them within the old city. Meaning they are all walking distance to the main tourist sites. So you aren't going to find a place without a lot of tourists. But remember that these places are inside really old buildings. Few are going to have the soundproofing of your average American hotel. So avoid the immediate area around the Duomo, the train station, and the market. And since A/C isn't a given in every hotel, and not common in apartments, check carefully that your choice of accommodations has it. If you're going in summer, you'll want it. Ask for a room not facing the street (still not a guarantee that it will be quiet). Also, since you're going during high season, expect higher room prices. For $100, it won't be fancy.

I found a nice airbnb in Porta Romana for $98/night. Thoughts on this area its access to the city.? The reviews seem very good and transportation is great

I was going to recommend the great apartment I rented near Piazza Santo Spirito but the price has gone way up and now averages about $140 per night with all the taxes and fees for next July. I rented through VRBO (property #1391629ha) and paid much less, but maybe it's available on one of the other sites like Airbnb at a lower price. I've found some significant pricing differences between websites for the same property. The apartment is only a half block from Piazza Santo Spirito, but it's on the top floor (lots of stairs) and bedrooms are in the back, so it's very quiet for sleeping.

Edit: Porta Romana is a nice residential neighborhood but pay attention to the location and where the bedroom is located. Florentine friends have a apartment on Via Roma with the master bedroom in the front, and they tell me it's very noisy. Bus service from the neighborhood to the center is generally very good.

Porta Romana looks perfect at that price you can walk to the Uffizi in 30 minutes more or less.
And there is Carrefour Express Grocery Store at Via Romana, 113R,

Santo Spirito, San Frediano, and San Niccolo' are the 3 neighborhoods in the historical center that comprise the Oltrarno ("beyond the Arno", i.e. south of the river Arno).
All 3 are an excellent choice. Technically all 3 are within the ancient walls, therefore part of the historical center, albeit slightly less crowded than on the northern side of the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge).
Santo Spirito is the closest to the Ponte Vecchio, therefore it is slightly closer to the sights, but has more tourists than the other two (but still better than north of the river).. San Niccolo' is on the same side of the river (south) but to the east of Santo Spirito, while San Frediano is to the west
San Frediano was named one of Lonely Planet's 10 coolest neighborhoods in the world this year.