Florence Vacation Rental apartment: historical Center

My two friends and I rented the San Marco apartment for 12 days at the end of June. It was a wonderful experience and we would all love to come back and stay there again. One of the reviews I had read about the apartment stated that the photos didn't really do it justice, and that was exactly what we found. The apartment is lovely with lots of little interesting architectural touches. It has windows facing in multiple directions, lots of light and fresh air, and the views are spectacular. Even the shower has a window with a view! We would meet each evening on the lovely terrace with the view of San Marco and the hills around Florence to have a drink and review our day's adventures and plan our evening out. It was sometimes hard to leave the peace of the terrace and the view to get back out to dinner and more site-seeing. The apartment is located in a quarter, which, though active with lots of stores and restaurants, is much quieter than around the Ponte Vecchio/Piazza Della Signoria where I've stayed before, and that was a plus for us. Most of the major attractions are easily within walking distance. If you're not a walker, or headed for the Oltra Arno area, the piazza in front of the building has bus stops for most of the major routes and a taxi stand. There is a very helpful tourist information office (look for the "i") on Via Cavour a couple of blocks from the apartment (headed towards San Lorenzo.) The stairs are a bit of a challenge, but think of them as your private gym. My companions used them as training to build up to walking up to the top of the dome and the bell tower by the end of our trip. I always felt the walk up the stairs was worth it to get to this lovely, quiet apartment, with its spectacular views of Florence. By the way, although the groundplan of the apartment looks like there is no window in the bedroom with the twin beds, there is a skylight in that room that is very nice and lets in lots of fresh air.