sleeping in florence

My vote is for central Florence so as to be reasonable walking distance to practically all the sights you're going to want to see.

You are not staying long enough to waste time commuting back and forth from Fiesole. It's a beautiful very wealthy town on the hill, with a few notable Roman and Etruscan things to see (Fiesole was there long before Florence) but most of the sights are down in the city center of Florence. Visit Fiesole on an afternoon trip and have dinner there instead.

Same as Kathy. We tend to stay as close to the city center as reasonably possible. We like the convenience of being able to walk.

We stayed in Florence, equal walking distance to the train station and city center. We found it very convenient to be close to the train station, as we made many trips outside the city.

patty,

I'd also suggest staying in Florence. That's where the sights are located, and also lots of nice restaurants, shops and some good hotels. Aside from admiring the view, there's probably not a lot to do in Fiesole in the evenings. The commute back and forth on the Bus would become tedious after a day or so.

Firsnze has so many more options, I have never been able to convince myself to stay in Fiesole instead. But it makes a great daytrip.

I would also recommend staying in Florence. There is so much to see in Florence.

it is true that staying in Firenze allows you to be close to the sights, but everyone else is there for the same reason. I stayed in Fiesole to get away from the crowds on my last trip to the area, and enjoyed that very much.

If you are looking to see all of the main sites of Florence (David, Uffizi, Dumo, Boboli Gradens/Pitti Palace) then 100% stay in Florence. While Florence felt incredibly clean, shiny and touristic (I was told that many Italians have left the main city), it can't be beat for a base to see all of the sites and to do day trips from. I stayed at the Davanzati which I cannot speak highly enough of. It's in Rick Steve's book and was also recommended by a friend. They are perfectly located, helped me make all of my restaurant reservations and went out of their way so often to be kind... I wrote them a thank you note when I got back to the states. It's close to the Arno river which is nice for getting over to the Oltrarno..which I loved for dinners, etc as it felt less touristy and more authentic. Hope this helps!

While Florence felt incredibly clean, shiny and touristic

Really? We loved Florence and didn't get that feeling at all. It felt very old and authentic to us.

We just got back from our Italy trip last week. If you do decide to stay in Florence, I can tell you where not to stay from the Rick book.

I too agree with Kathy.. Florence is the home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. Also there are many hotels where you can stay with minimal budget. Hotels like Hotel Astro Mediceo, Al Duomo etc.