Hotel's in Florence

Lisa, did you learn of Casa Rabatti in Rick's Florence book? I see that in his description of Marcella's, he notes "fans available" and for her daughter, Patrizia's, "fans"....Since we haven't stayed there since 1998, I couldn't remember but I would guess that Rick's description means there is no air conditioning in either place. In spite of that, Casa Rabatti is delightful due to Marcella, a real sweetheart! We stayed in Patrizia's in a huge room with separate bath--that's what was available. I will also send you a PM shortly!

Since you are looking in the part of the city where Casa Rabatti is located, look into Hotel Basilea. It's about 2 blocks closer to the sites. It is a step up in size and price but we had a very nice room with a balcony and a nice private bath. We paid 114E a night.

Can't tell you a good one but we really didn't like Hotel Aldobrandini. My wife almost revolted over that one. It turns out the run down rooms, paper thin walls, threadbare linen and straddling the toilet to take a shower weren't the issue. The issue was the cigarette smoke billowing under our door from the hotel owners down the hall. In general Florence is pricey for so-so lodging

We stayed at Mario's, recommended by RS, and except for the extreme difficulty of getting to it by car (only street I've ever seen that is one-way out in both directions--you have to find a small alley to get to the middle of it) we liked it. It is near the train station. We also stayed at Hotel Cimabue, a little north of the Academia, and liked it too. They were both fairly inexpensive at that time--about 4 years ago.

We stayed at Bellevue House B&B several years ago and really loved it. It's in the RS book and it has AC. It could definitely still be warm in early September. http://www.bellevuehouse.it/inglese/bed_and_breakfast_florence_center.asp

Residenza della Signoria (www.residenzadellasignoria.com) right between the Duomo and Uffizi, it's in the center of everything. Lovely, spacious rooms, great private baths, air conditioning. Great rates ( I think we got 79 euros a night?), and great reviews on tripadvisor. I've stayed in two great places in Florence, but this is the one I'd go back to!

We stayed at B&B Il Bargello www.firenze-bedandbreakfast.it last fall. It was our favorite B&B out of the 7 we stayed in on that trip. Gabriella is from Canada, and she is married to an Italian. The B&B is next door to the Bargello (hence the name) and its wonderful! Yes, its air-conditioned and the RS book states it is 100E for double with bath. We really enjoyed our time with Gabriella. They gave us the name of a couple of great restaurants nearby. I loved the fact you could make a cup of tea or have a snack at any time of the day. There's a great rooftop patio also, looking out over the city. What a view with the towers/walls of the Bargello right outside the window. There was a full moon the nights we were there and we got some great shots of it rising over the Bargello.

Grazie for the tip about the Bellevue House. We're going to Firenze in June and originally had reservations at another place, but I noticed some frightful experiences in reviews on TripAdvisor, especially recently. (I figure if a hotel has good reviews from some years back, but lousy ones lately, it's had a change of management and should be avoided. The rate at the Bellevue was the same, anyway.

We stayed at the Viva Hotels Pitti Palace. We got a pretty good rate there - can't be sure how much. it could've been relative - for a pretty decent stay. If you're looking for character, this wasn't the place. It was the most "American" of all the hotels we stayed at, very modern and sterile. But that said, it was a very clean and comfortable, and the A/C worked unconditionally (rare). The breakfast views were amazing as well. The location is just south of the Ponte Vecchio. Very close to Uffizi and Pitti Palace

We love Hotel Alessandra. It is right by ponte vecchio. Great service. Very clean rooms. Tucked and reasonably quiet. Charming.

We are booked at the Bellettini. Haven't stayed there yet, but had friends who were there last year and said it was very convenient to the central part of town and the train station and that it was a very pleasant place to stay...