Tiffany MuraPosted: Mon, Oct 15 2007Value:
5This was my first trip to Florence, but my sister's second, and she chose the location close to the Duomo since we didn't have a lot of time in Florence and therefore didn't want to spend our time commuting to the sites. The hotel is ideally located -- a 2 min walk to L'Academia and the Duomo, and a 10 min walk to the Uffizi. The rooms are clean, large, and charming. Massimo, Mario, Dennis and Julia (staff) are warm, welcoming, full of helpful suggestions, and always ready to assist with arranging dinner reservations, gallery reservations or making other suggestions to enhance your stay. One of our favorite parts aside from the location was the charming roof deck where breakfast was served and that was available for an afternoon escape from the bustle of the city. The noise level of the hotel is good given its city location. The only negative I have is that the driving directions to the hotel on the venere website are wrong -- the street that it is located on is one-way in the OPPOSITE direction than that which is listed on the venere directions. Beware of this, as two of us drove the wrong way down this street. Some special items about the neighborhood include the Museo di San Marco, which is one block past L'Academia and worth a visit. It is a 14th century monestary, and very interesting. We also had the pleasure of visiting a festival in Piazza SS Annunziata one block from the hotel (between L'Academia and Museo di San Marco), and a market in the same Piazza on Saturday afternoon. If you want to be close to the Duomo, this is the place to stay!