GIGLIO LáNTICO

Really nice little apartment in Oltrarno, easy walking distance to all the city center attractions from a (somewhat) quieter location. Three-story walk-up with a small elevator, A/C functioned very well even in the late June heat, property manager was easygoing and communicated well over WhatsApp. Main bed was comfy, extra foldaway bed was a little creaky but worked well enough for our purposes. Would be a little tight with three people, but doable. A pleasant and functional space.

This is a tidy apartment located in the heart of old Florence, an easy walk to all the museums, shopping, cathedrals and squares. The road outside bustles with foot traffic, taxis, vespas, and bikes, as does most of this area. It was an easy 20 minute walk to the train station, we took the train to Venice for the day and had a great time without needing a different place to stay or moving our luggage. Taxis are plentiful and reasonable to and from the train station and airport. As you can see, there are stairs up to the sleeping and bathroom area. There is a lift up to the floor this apartment is on. The building is very secure, requiring entry through two fortress-like doors. The queen bed is very comfortable, and the footstool converts into a single wide hide a bed. The kitchen is quite complete, we made several meals here and had our daily breakfast here. The two armchairs in the living area were great for reading and relaxing. There were great places to eat nearby, the restaurant next door rocked! And the 6 little places down the alley along the building were fun with some great local dishes: spaghetti with shaved dried pressed fish roe, a beef stew with intense rich peppers sauce (not hot), a meat loaf with a pate-like funk, and of course, pizza. Yum! On the down side: the three kitchen chairs at the table are extremely uncomfortable, so visiting friends could not sit for long. The electrical outlets are a bit picky, it took some work to find one that would consistently charge our phones (the kitchen counter was by far the best). The bedding is sub standard. Instead of a couple of proper nice light blankets there was a beat up fiber Blanket, and nothing to use on the cot. There really is no handrail on the stairs, so plan on using extreme care going up and down, not suitable for young children. . There’s a washer, but no dryer, a rack is provided to air dry your clothes. The apartment opens on to an alleyway that leads to a small square with 6 bustling restaurants, and the staff fires up their vespas right under the window when they go home. Strains of accordian music and laughter waft through the air most of the evening. On the plus side, the windows are double insulated plus have solid wooden shutters inside, effectively closing off most of the noise, but requiring the use of the a/c for air circulation. The toilet seat was broken when we got there, and still broken when we left 8 days later. Manager was apologetic for the poor service

Shabby furniture and comforters. Water leaked in bathroom possibly from washing machine. Initially had great help from staff, Attilio and Marco but no response when we tried to reach them after the first day. Location was excellent.