which area is best to stay?
Depends on the person.
depends on the person ........... ................and what you want to see
Well, my favorite place to stay is outside of Florence so that I can take day trips, so I like to stay about a half hour out of Florence, near San. G. or I have also stayed in Certaldo Alto and a tiny village of San Donato... there are a ton of wonderful towns, it depends on what you are looking for and whether you will have a car.