Florence Vacation Rental apartment

Good spot- 20 minutes walk from S. Maria Novella Station. Stairs are steep - wheelchair users wouldn't make it. Property's clean; has all the facilities needed for a good break, except a garden - but you don't many of those on the first floor. Customer service is good, friendly and well-informed. Place would benefit from some minor DIY, but is better than adequate for all but the most discerning - but they'd be staying in a five-star hotel over the river (and paying the price that goes with it). Would return again to this apartment - it's homely. Road's a bit noisy, but hey, this is the centre of a busy city. Parking's easy but expensive. Would suggest that you read and fully understand the parking restrictions, especially the night-time road sweeping in Florence. Easy access to city, bus routes to the centre, or a nice walk along the riverbank. The pizza place on the corner (Sancho Panza's) is good - far better on the inside than it looks on the outside. The park's getting trashed by the tram system that'll run through it, once the buidling work's finished in the city as a whole, and the park in particular. Which is a pity, since the park was once one of the city's pride and joys. If you've made your mind up to stay in Florence on a budget then this place is a really good base. If you really want the fruit and veg experience then go to the Mercato Centrale - it's not "local" - it's a 20 minute walk away (and has become geared for the tourists to some extent), but it's the mutt's nuts for fruit, veg., meat, fish - whatever's edible (the flowefr stalls are pretty too). The city's the nicest I've ever visited - we've come here (Florence) five times now, and it seems to just get better.