Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
99
a local's apartment (a cheap and sometimes fun option), and they can find you
out-of-town lodging as well.
I've also found that the American-based agency
Travel Italy
(www.travel-italy.
com)
has a good, if slightly pricier, selection of apartments in the center of
Florence. These range from cozy, antique-laden one-bedrooms in the Santa Croce
area (from
€
490 per week; with fold-out couch, bedrooms can sleep four) to
more modern studios off the Piazza Pitti (from
490 per week for two people) to
larger spaces that can house up to six people. The Travel Italy staff is friendly and
knows its properties well.
Because you came all the way to Florence to experience a Renaissance town,
perhaps you should stay at a period apartment.
Palazzo Belfiore
€
5
(Via dei
Velluti 8, Oltrarno;
%
055-611115)
offers seven unique apartments in a 15th-
century palace. The rooms boast frescoes and antique furniture, and are restored
to their original glory, but with the addition of satellite TV, modern kitchens, and
central heating and air-conditioning. (The nobles never had it so good.)
Apartments rent for
€
850 to
€
1,600 per week, and sleep up to six people.
RELIGIOUS HOUSING
€
-
€€
While Florence doesn't have the same meditative atmosphere as, say,
Assisi or a smaller town in the countryside, you can still save a bit of money, and
enjoy a spiritual interlude, at a religious house in the city. Two excellent options
are
Suore Oblate dello Spirito Santo
(Via Nazionale, 8;
%
055-2398129),
which
seems a bit out of place close to the chaos of the train station, and
Suore Oblate
dell'Assunzione
(Via Borgo Pinti, 15;
%
055-2480583)
near the Duomo. Run by
nuns, they are both pretty basic. Spirito Santo admits only married couples, fam-
ilies, and single women, and requires a minimum 2-night stay at
€
44 for a dou-
ble. Dell'Assunzione is more flexible about who can stay, charging
52 for a
double with private bathroom. Aside from the need to act respectfully, the only
rule travelers should be aware of in these two hostels is an 11:30pm curfew
(though you may be able to come in a little later).
€
€
My preference is for a
semi
-religious stay. Despite the severe appearance of the
Pope Pio X Hostel
(Via dei Serragli 106, Oltrarno;
%
055-225044),
with photos
of the Pope and religious paraphernalia everywhere, it's really a relaxed hostel pop-
ular with Italian students, as it should be at
€
17 a night, about the cheapest
option in town. Get there early to claim one of the 58 beds.
5
9
(Via dei Serragli 49, Oltrarno;
%
055-
212576; gould.reception@dada.it)
is more upscale than a regular hostel, charging
€
58 for a courtyard double with bathroom (or
€
21 per person in a quad with-
out bathroom). But the building, an old palace, has been modernized to provide
clean, basic dorm rooms, and boasts an attractive courtyard. A portion of your
room rate goes to help the disadvantaged children whom the Institute supports.
HOTELS OF THE SANTA MARIA NOVELLA DISTRICT
It's not the most glamorous area of town, but for budget lodgings this tourist dis-
trict has the greatest number of affordable accommodations. It's also brimming
with Internet cafes, bars, laundromats, shops, and the train station—in short,
€
-
€€
Finally,
The Instituto Gould
