Florence Vacation Rental apartment

My husband, 13-yr old daughter and I stayed here for 4 nights in July. This is a great apartment (and I would also highly recommend La Colonica, same owners, self-catering lodge outside Cortona) - very well furnished and equipped, and the location couldn't have been better. We walked everywhere - most major sights are within a 15-20 minute walk and the neighborhood is nice to walk in. Nearby is the Mercato Sant Ambrogio - great, and the flea market - Mercato delle Pulci - very quaint by day, and by night, folks spilling onto streets from one of the cafes. One of our favorite restaurants in that same area is Il Pizzaiuolo (book in advance!). Great pizza and seafood pasta. Owners of La Pergola are helpful from the moment you begin to inquire and book. Would definitely stay here again and recommend to friends and family. Far superior to staying in a hotel and a much better deal.

We stayed here after Christmas and over New Year to celebrate our anniversary. This is a gorgeous apartment – the sort that you always hope you will find and rarely do. As there are a number of reviews already, we will focus on the things we found important.

Making the reservation was easy. We got quick replies in perfect English to our many questions in the months leading up to our stay. The owner helped us with our museum bookings and he did not charge.

The street is one of the most historic in Florence, full of ancient palaces standing side by side much smaller buildings like the one the apartment is in. This area still has a life of its own, unusual for Florence city center. In our block there was the Accadi, a very good neighborhood favourite. We ate there several times, and we enjoyed the genuine Florentine food, the friendly service and the very moderate prices (less than 30 Euro each for a full evening meal with wine)! We do not eat lunch but they do a very good value lunch (set menu, limited choice).

We enjoyed getting to know this particular bit of Florence well – one of our great finds was the chapel of St Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi, up the street. This is almost impossible to spot unless you are looking for it – there is just an ordinary street door, but when you go in, there is a perfect cloister with garden, the gorgeous church itself, and the mural by Perugino. We went to the New Year Mass there and it was an experience that we will never forget.

We shopped a lot at the open-air market (Ambrogio) and enjoyed going back to the same stalls to get our produce and being recognized! There is a supermarket much nearer which we used occasionally. I went to the local hair stylist and we both went to the local coffee bars and enjoyed them. People were friendly and good humoured. The other people in the apartment building were Florentines and were friendly and welcoming when we met them on the stairs. That made a real difference and we felt we really did make contact with the people.

We loved this apartment and what the other reviewers stay is true: it is very clean, very well maintained, very well furnished, well-decorated, perfect for sightseeing etcetc.!!! Two big negatives: the apartment is not at all suitable for young children or for anyone with mobility issues. Our stay in Florence, not just this apartment, but the whole experience, was magical. We had such a good time.

We were pleased with every aspect of this beautiful apartment. It is well designed and furnished and the location couldn't be better. We stayed for a week and used it as our base for walking tours in the old city areas of Florence. We never needed public transportation although it is conveniently available down the street. Also nearby are supermarkets as well as an internet center and many restaurants, cafes and gelato shops. We did not need the air conditioning but did use the heat on a couple of chilly mornings. The washing machine was a welcome amenity and we hung our laundry out to dry in the sunshine. All three of us are over 60 years old and we had no problem with the stairs. We met a couple of friendly and personable neighbors and became regulars at a cafe a few doors down. The place is very quiet and security was never an issue.