Last year, when I was looking to book a hotel in Florence, I really wanted to stay near the Ponte Vecchio or have a room with a View. You see when I was last in Florence I was there as a nanny and a studentessa. So those were the days when I had no money and certainly no view from my room. That didn’t matter because I was able to walk the storied cobblestones of one of the most beautiful cities in the world at my leisure. Ah the carefree days of a student living abroad.
But here I was twenty years later with credit cards and hotel points to burn and a teen daughter in tow. I wanted to show her my Florence but from a better vantage point. I know many parents grew up like me, family vacations were not that exciting. My parents were solidly middle class, our only vacations were to visit family in Akron, Ohio. If I wanted to go to Europe, I knew I would have to do it on my own and I did.
I did not want that to be my daughter’s travel experience. I wanted her to have a different upbringing and appreciate traveling especially to other countries at an early age. By the time my daughter was 12, she had been to London, Paris, Jamaica, Barbados, Disneyland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C, Baltimore, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Disney World (7 times if you can believe it.)
In her first trip to Italy, I wanted my daughter to walk the same streets I did as a student so I finally booked a flight for our Italy vacation (and those miles were not garnering any further value that is for sure.)
Looking into hotels in Florence, there was nothing that appealed to me or the cost was so astronomical, I just could not justify it. So instead of staying in a lower quality hotel, I started looking into Airbnb rentals.
Airbnb wasn’t certainly my first choice. And why “because I am black.” Unless you are living under a rock, there have been so many stories about the horrible experiences that have happened to black folks in the United States. And yes, we are talking about Italy but I know from living there, Italy is a great tourist destination if you are white and American but Italians do have their own immigration issues especially people from Africa and the Middle East. All you have to do is walk any Italian tourist destination and you will see them selling their wares (that has not changed that is for sure.)
So I began my search and found an apartment with a view of the Ponte Vecchio and Il Duomo. In case you are unaware, the Ponte Vecchio along with the Michaelangelo’s David, The Uffizi Museum and Il Duomo is one of the must-see attractions in Florence.
From the photos, the apartment was perfect, two bedrooms, a living room, a nice sized kitchen, and a dining room and did I mention the view. Even if the apartment was crap and the pictures were fake, my fantasy of enjoying un cafe looking over the Bella Firenze would be made. So I booked it!
Since this was my first Airbnb experience, I had no idea what to expect prior to our visit. You have to pay 50% ahead to book the place which makes sense and send a picture ID. All makes sense to ensure the owner is paid. I had a few questions before I actually hit pay and the owner answered quickly them. So I went forward booked the apartment and threw caution to the wind.
The story of my life when it comes to travel.
We arrived at the apartment and the owner was there to settle us in and help us with our bags. She was quite lovely and friendly. She even had left a bottle of Prosecco for me. And the apartment was just like in the photos. Absolutely no complaints at all. And I did I mention the delightful air conditioning. She knows her guests. Florence in Summer is no fun without enjoying a cool night’s sleep. And the bonus was there was a washer available!!! Perfect for doing our laundry before our trip back to Rome.
The view from our balcony!
Whether you are traveling internationally or in the United States, everyone’s experience is all a crapshoot right so you just have to go with the flow and go in with a positive attitude. And whether it’s positive or negative, you will have a story to tell.
And yes, I will try Airbnb again.
Disclosure: NYC Single Mom was not compensated for this article. Opinions are truly 100% my own.
I’m so glad that the Air BnB worked out so well for you! Was it across the river in the neighborhood where the artisans live/work (I can’t remember the name coz it’s been so long since I was there!). Your pix are gorgeous. I want to go back!
It was literally on the first street after you cross over the pointe vecchio. I would say there were a lot of artisan shops in the neighborhood but not as many as I remember