Aldini Hotel - Florence, Italy     

I must say that it doesn't get much closer than this. This hotel can almost be considered as "next door" to the Duomo. It is right in the centre of Florence, just a few minutes walk from most major attractions. It is situated on the 3rd floor, but luckily an elevator is a available for service. Note that there was no large sign on the hotel building so it's easy to miss. From the moment we arrived, very accomodating service staff were always willing to help. We had a late train on our check-out day but we were able to leave our bags in the hotel while we continued to tour the city. It was about a 10-15 minute walk from the train station. We stayed in room 101. It was a very large room with a large bathroom. It had a wonderful view of the Duomo. If you don't mind street noise, then I would highly recommend this room. The other rooms are smaller, but all were very clean and comfortable. Living this close to the Duomo, means that the first church bells of the day start to ring at 7am. I would definitely come back and stay here.