Staying in Florence for a month

Can you specify what constitutes "walking distance"? Most of the city is within a 30 minute stroll from SMN, including the quieter (and frankly a lot nicer) Oltrarno area, so if you're reasonably ambulatory and don't mind hoofing it you really have the whole city open to you.
Might want to become familiar with the local city buses, which we found to be cheap, convenient, and quite handy whenever wanted to give our tired legs a break.

Dave, Robert has it right that the historic center of Florence is compact enough to be within shoutin' distance of SM Novella from MANY spots about its moderate expanse. I don't know as I'd call any of it unsafe, and you'd be fine near the station. As you'll be basing in the city longer than most tourists are able to, I'm guessing you're planning a number of day trips further afield by rail so being closer to the station versus further away would be an efficient use of shoe leather. :O)

We walked all over, day and night, without feeling uneasy. Wow, a whole month! I'm so jealous!

Florence is safe anywhere. I’d be more concerned with noise in certain spots. Noise from people, tourists, and also transit traffic. And that can change just around a corner.

I got a VRBO for 4 weeks in sept/oct 2023 in the Ultrarno area. I liked it because it is close to the Palazzo Pitti, and the Basilica of Santo Spirito where there is open air markets. It is 0.1 mile to Ponte Vecchio bridge and In the other direction I could walk easily ( .7 } mile to the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella but there are also bus stops close by. The price was fantastic compared to the other side the river. It is on a quiet side street and has outdoor seating. You may want to check out how long you are staying because a lot of places give a discount the longer you stay.Staying for 4 weeks was only $400 more than staying for 2 weeks.

You posted a very similar question back in June ,with great responses .
What else can we help with?

Yes, you are correct I did ask this question before. But now I am ready to book a place to stay and I want to be sure I am picking the correct spot. I am an older woman and will be flying into Rome and taking the train to Florence. So, I did want to be close to the train station as I will be walking with my luggage.

I am so thankful to all of you for your input. If you have anymore suggestions I would love to hear them!

Will you be a group of 5 as per your other post or will you be solo?

We are currently in Florence for a month arriving the 6th. Arrived by train and took a taxi to our accommodation-less than E15. Our apt is by Santa Croce and the Biblioteca Nazionale. Taxis are permitted into the ZTL. Markets and shops(depending on your definition of shops) are everywhere. Since then we have walked with the exception of a bus up to Fiesole. We walked down.
The main old part of Florence- Duomo, Piazza Santa Croce, Piazza Signoria, the Uffizi, Piazza della Repubblica, Palazzo Vecchio, etc. can be covered in 20-30 minutes walking time. Very small area-very crowded. Noisy late into the night and all day.
Oltrarno- we have been over there a number of times. The main area by the Arno (Lungarno street markings and one street removed) are busy and a bit touristy too. Further afield, less so.
Tons of decent eateries everywhere. We think on some streets that is all that is there! We’ve had excellent meals and some that were okay, but nothing bad by any means.
Conad and PAM groceries are the most common and well placed. There is a large Conad (Sapori and Dintori-their house brand) on Via del Melarancio in Oltrarno. It is just past the Ponte Vecchio towards the Ponte alle Grazie bridge.

I personally wouldn’t limit my accommodation search to the area around the station-crowded, busy and can be a bit to navigate. I can’t answer to the safety there as to others areas but we’ve had no problems and so far have seen nothing to indicate their is that much to be concerned about. Just be careful and pay attention to your surroundings.
As with any other city new to you, find a GOOD map! We have two- Touring Club Italiano and a Freytag & Berndt pocket map. Using those in conjunction with Google maps is so helpful. They can be a bit difficult to find.
We are not “spring chickens” and love walking here and exploring. It’s also easy to take day trips from the train station. A hint- IF your train leaves from track (binario) 17 or 18 give yourself an extra 10 minutes. We missed a train by about 3 seconds because we didn’t realize how far out the track was from the main body of the station! It’s disheartening to watch it leave as you’re running to catch it. We were there for the next departure for sure.
Do a lot of research! There is so much to see. I highly recommend doing a group tour of the Uffizi and the Accademia. Look for one that limits to 8-10 people., which will be more expensive but well worth the individualality. You see the highlights and can always return. We booked with walks.com and had a fabulous guide. Our guru walk was also very good-it is tip based.
And we’re off to visit the Ospedale degli Innocenti and Museo Novecento today.
Have fun planning and best wishes for a great trip.

On our first trip to Florence, we stayed in an apartment in the Oltrano for a week. It was back from the river and not near the Ponte Vecchio so it was away from the heavily touristed area, but we could walk everywhere including the train station.

On our second stay in Florence we had an apartment for 5 weeks that was “two steps” from Piazza Beccaria on the pedestrian street Borgo la Croce just inside where the city walls used to be. Piazza Beccaria is where all three lines of the little electric buses stop. These will take you to the train station, the Oltrano, and all sorts of desirable places in the historic center. I believe that my very first post on this forum was to ask about a month’s bus pass for these buses. The area has the Sant’Ambrogio market and many places to eat or have coffee or gelato. Also hardware stores, which we needed at least four times. About a 15 minute walk to the Duomo. A much nicer and more quiet area than near the train station.

It was FUN to take those buses —- I was going every day to art history classes at the British Institute and was grateful for the air-conditioned ride and good views and even for the amusing way we plowed through the mobs of tourists in various places. If I’m remembering correctly, it was a 25 euro taxi ride to the airport when we left. So, yeah, as others have said, no need to limit yourself to the station area.