Sleeps: 2 Bedroom(s): 1 Bathroom(s): 1
Experience the beauty and excitement of Florentine art and culture in the popular Oltrarno neighborhood in the Gardenia apartment. The apartment has all the mod cons in accommodations with quality finishes and art that dates from the Renaissance when it was built to modern times.
Between the charm of this property and the appeal of the neighborhood where it is located, the Gardenia apartment will deeply enhance your enjoyment of your stay in Florence. It is spacious for 2 guests with separate living and dining rooms. Large windows bring in views and light.
Location
The Oltrarno neighborhood is famous for its restaurants, antiques and artisan workshops while being a few steps across the nearby Ponte Vecchio to the other side of the Arno river and the grand streets and piazza of monumental Florence. The location is near Piazza della Passera that has a history and charm all its own. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was born here. There are a number of cafés and restaurants that offer al fresco dining. The deservedly famous 4 Leoni trattoria is integral to the character of the piazza. Nearby is Piazza Santo Spirito with popular restaurants and cafés lining the piazza.
Interior
Enter the building, a “palazzo” that dates from the 1400s and you will witness the history in the wooden doors from the 1700s and trompe d’oeil frescoes by renowned artist Carlo Capanni. One flight of steps to reach the second floor (North American designation) for the apartment.
Enter into the large dining room that is decorated with fine art and a Venetian crystal chandelier. With two large windows, traditional coffered ceiling and terracotta floor, it is quite elegant. The designer table seats 6 and could be your “office” when working remotely. Handsome sideboard holds dining and serving items. A comfortable seating area is by the windows with views over roofs tiled with traditional reddish terracotta.
The adjoining living room has the same coffered ceilings as well as parquet floors. The large windows face the same direction as those in the dining room. Relax in comfort on the long sofa. The television is under the left windows. Shutters allow you to control the light.
The large eat-in kitchen is well-designed and complete. Find the stove under the ancient hood over where the fireplace was in the 1400s.
Don't worry about exterior sounds in the internal bedroom with its large wardrobe. The bathroom is pretty wonderful, although narrow, it has everything including elegant silk walls, parquet floors, heated towel rack and a large mosaic-tiled shower.
The richness of art and architecture in this area includes Palazzo Pitti, once home of the Medici and the beautiful Boboli Gardens behind. The iconic Ponte Vecchio is steps away and just beyond the Uffizi Galleries. Visit the beautiful Brancacci Chapel with a fresco cycle that is a milestone in art history. Nearby Santo Spirito church is renowned for its beautiful pre-renaissance architecture, turbulent history and frescoes by Filippino Lippi. Seek out the amusing Bacchus statue in the Boboli gardens among the beauty of the fountains and gardens. In the streets of Italian towns you see many small religious shrines, so get a chuckle from wonderful a local artist, Mario Mariotti, who was upset about stinking trashcans placed on adjoining Via Toscanella. In 1984 he sculpted a shrine to the “Madonna del Puzzo”, the “Madonna of Stink” holding her nose as she looks up to avoid the stench. The trashcans have long since been removed, but you can still see the Madonna on Via Toscanella on the last building before you get to Borgo San Jacopo.