Albergo Firenze - Florence, Italy     

My husband and I stayed at the Albergo Firenze for 2 nights in mid-June. We took the train up from Rome (about a 90-minute ride) at 6:30 a.m. because we had a Tuscan Cooking tour scheduled for 9:00a.m. We got to the train station and headed in the direction of the hotel. It was about a 15 minute walk, but the town was lovely, coblestone streets, little side roads, well-dressed people....great first impression. We walked right past Duomo, which is massive, then our hotel was right around the corner. We went inside and there was a group of about 15-20 just leaving. Obviously our room was not ready yet, but they had luggage storage and restrooms. Also, breakfast was being served, which is included (not for us since we hadn't officially checked in yet). They had water and soda for sale for a decent price in the lobby so we got a couple for the day. Our tour was with Verbena Blu Travel and it was a Cooking in Chianti tour. We had a van/guide that took us about an hour away to the Tuscan countryside. Then we went to a little restuarant for our cooking class. Usually there are groups of 6-8, but we were the only 2 on this day so it was quite ideal. We made traditional Tuscan food---tomato soup, druken pork, biscottini (once baked biscotti). Then we had a wine and olive oil lesson---fabulous! After we cooked, ate, and drank wine we went to the medival village of San Gimignano and walked around for a bit. Then we were so exhausted we headed back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel around 5:30, checked in, and found our room. It was fine for what we needed. There were tile floors, generic furniture, but a nice big bathroom. We slept great, breakfast the next day was included and we ate quick because we had reservations at Accademia to see David. The rest of the day was spent walking around and looking at the sights. We ended the day at Plaza Michaelangelo overlooking the city, it was quite lovely. And, everything was within walking distance from the hotel. We even squeezed in a train trip out to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa for a couple of hours. Overall, a great trip, a great city, and a great hotel.

We stayed at this hotel in mid June with friends. The location was ideal for everything. Just opposite the hotel was a church which had three concerts in our nine night stay and was very enjoyable. The staff were very friendly and told us about different things that was happening in the city which we found very helpful. The room was very clean, and the beds were very comfortable, we were on the fourth floor and did not find it to be too noisy. I certainly would go back to this hotel if returning to Florence which we hope to do.