This beautiful Florence vacation rental apartment will make you think you stepped onto a 1920's movie set when you enter the neighborhood behind the Boboli Gardens known as the "Bobolino", or little Boboli Gardens. Set among a few small quiet streets are two-story residences that were built in the 1920's. This is a very elegant, quiet neighborhood unknown to most tourists. It's an easy walk to all the major sites but lets you escape to a private peaceful retreat with plenty of greenery and your own garden and patio.

The Boboli Gardens, which are directly behind the apartment, are Florence's only central public gardens and were comissioned by the Medicis, thus the naming of this as the "Medici" apartment. To the east is the glorious walk up Viale Niccolo Macchiavelli to the million dollar view of Florence from the Piazzale Michelangelo. No need to go to the gym if you make this walk up the hill each day to the top where you'll enjoy spectacular views of the city, particularly the dome of the Duomo cathedral.

The Medici apartment is on the bottom floor of a two-story building that consists of only two units. As you enter the quiet, narrow street where the apartment is located you'll see the stone walls of the Boboli Gardens directly in front of you. The street is less then one block long and dead-ends at the ancient wall. It's a 15-minute walk to the Pitti Palace or the lively Piazza Santo Spirito which has many excellent restaurants and a daily outdoor produce market. The Ponte Vecchio is a 20 minute walk.

This lovely apartment is a rare find in Florence since it has the privacy of a town home, it's own back terrace where you can enjoy meals al fresco and the benefit of free on-street parking if you would like to have a car handy for day trips to the Tuscan countryside.
The living room has a very large window that opens out onto the small street and overlooks the neighbor's beautiful wisteria vines and palm tree. The lush vegetation gives a very Mediterranean aura to the apartment and will make you feel like you're in the country even though you're only minutes away from famous sites like the Duomo, the David and the Ponte Vecchio! The second bedroom has a large window that overlooks the street as well. The master bedroom and bathroom are at the back of the apartment and each have windows opening onto the back garden and patio. The kitchen has French doors that open onto the terrace. The floors are handsome polished terracotta tiles.

The living room has two brand new comfortable divans accessorized with sumptuous throw pillows. If you want to just sit and relax at home, there is plenty of reading light from the lamps next to the sofas. In the corner of the living room is a dining table and four cushioned dining room chairs so that you can have meals indoors if you prefer. Gaze out the living room window and you'll see the ancient walls of the Boboli Gardens immediately to your right.

The master bedroom has a large armoire for clothing and a dresser. The lamps on the night stands on either side of the bed provide good reading light. The cheery second bedroom is furnished with two twin beds, a night stand with a lamp and an armoire for clothing. For a fifth person we can provide a rollaway twin bed that can be set up in the living room.

The kitchen is new with top-quality cabinets and appliances. There is a four-burner stove, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, all new dishes, pots, pans and cooking utensils. You'll find this kitchen to be a delight to cook in. On the other hand, you're in Florence and on vacation, so chances are you'll be eating out at the many nearby excellent restaurants most days. However, the wonderful selection of fresh seasonal ingredients might tempt you to cook at home. Just at the edge of the neighborhood in the Piazza Porta Romana are a few daily produce stands that sell fresh fruits and vegetables, so handy if you need a few last-minute items. There's even one of Florence's few remaining tripe vendors at this location, if you care try this Florentine speciality!

The bathroom has just been completely remodeled with white tiles, good under-the-sink storage, toilet, bidet and shower.

A terrace is a "must have" for some of our guests and the Medici apartment has a lovely outdoor space. It's an ideal place to enjoy summer meals. There is a patio table with umbrella. You can just step right out onto the patio from the kitchen and we bet it's the spot where many of you will have some of your most pleasant Florence memories. This is a country where meals al fresco is a way of life and you'll find yourself getting into the swing of things, even if it's just lingering over a cup of coffee and reading a good book outside on the terrace in the mornings.

We provide a DVD and CD player along with a small selection of movies and music. But bring along your own as well to enjoy. We leave a selection of guidebooks for you to peruse and enjoy when you arrive and provide an extensive list of our favorite restaurants and tips on where to shop.

This is a non-smoking apartment. No pets please.


Click on the floorplan for a larger view.

Euros Price:
Low Season
1-2 people 7 nights €896, 6 nights €845, 5 nights €736, 4 nights  €691
3-4 people 7 nights €1070, 6 nights €1009, 5 nights €879, 4 nights €825
5 people 7 nights €1195, 6 nights €1127, 5 nights €982, 4 nights €922

High Season
1-2 people 7 nights €1020, 6 nights €962, 5 nights €838, 4 nights €787
3-4 people 7 nights €1320, 6 nights €1245, 5 nights €1084, 4 nights €1018
5 people 7 nights €1345, 6 nights €1268, 5 nights €1105, 4 nights €1038

Includes utilities up to a generous 15 Kwh/day
4 night minimum except Easter, Christmas, New Year's 7 night minimum
Sorry no pets, no smoking

Bedrooms:
Sleeps 5: Master bedroom with king size bed. Second bedroom has two twin beds. A rollaway twin mattress is available for 5th person. A portable crib is available upon request. Beds are standard Italian style: mattress on a platform, no box spring.

Bathrooms:
1 bathroom: Shower, sink, toilet and bidet. The bathroom is newly remodeled. Hairdryer provided.

No. of Guests:
Up 5 people.

Size:
1000 square feet

Garden and Terrace:
There is a terrace off the back of the apartment where you can enjoy meals outdoors and gaze up at the ancient walls surrounding the Boboli Gardens.

Washer:
Combination Washer with Dryer (dryer has limited effectiveness). Clothes drying rack, iron & board provided.

Air Conditioning & Heat:
No air conditioner. Two portable electric fans provided. Central heating.

Kitchen:
Fully equipped kitchen with four burner stove, oven, toaster, microwave, American-style coffeemaker & espresso pot, dishwasher and large refrigerator/freezer.

Telephone & Internet:
Fixed phone line, loaner cell phone & high speed DSL internet.

TV, DVD, CD Player:
Satellite TV with English language news channels, mulitstandard DVD player and a selection of DVD's. CD player provided so bring your favorite music.

Linens:
Linens and towels are provided.

Public Transportation:
Yes. Public transportation is nearby, but it is just as easy to walk everywhere as all the major sites are reachable by foot. The Ponte Vecchio is 20 minute walk, the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens are 10 minutes away. 10 minutes by bus to the center of town.

Parking:
Yes! Ample, free street parking is available since this is a quiet residential neighborhood. This is an ideal location for visitors who want to have a car while in Florence in order to make day trips to the countryside, as public parking garages can cost about $40 per day.

Neighborhood:
On the Oltrarno side of Florence. This is south of the Arno River behind the beautiful Boboli Gardens which adjoin the Pitti Palace. It is in a quiet residential neighborhood consisting of just a few small streets of elegant two-story town homes built in the 1920's and is situated at the base of the long, curving Viale Niccolo Macchiavelli which goes past some of the most elegant private estates and up to the famous lookout point at Piazzale Michelangelo where you can enjoy stunning views of Florence. Nearby is Piazza Santa Spirito which has several nice restaurants on the piazza and a daily outdoor produce market. Via Guicciardini which runs in front of the Pitti Palace has plenty of shopping, restaurants.