Ponte Vecchio - Florence

Accommodates 6 -- 3 Bedrooms -- 2 Baths

You can’t be closer to the Ponte Vecchio than this large characterful flat which is practically on the bridge itself. Its precise location is the very western end of Via de’ Bardi, one of Florence’s most prestigious residential and commercial streets.

From here, you’re within steps of everything important in Florence: the Uffizi and Pitti Palaces; the Boboli Gardens; and the Piazza della Signoria. Not to mention the church of Santa Felicita’, home of one of our favorite paintings of all time, Pontormo’s Deposition, beautifully restored and illuminated.

Just a little farther away but within an easy walk — everything in Florence is within 20 minutes’ walk max — are the Duomo, Santo Spirito, the Carmine, Santa Croce, the list goes on. Plus, there’s also everything practical you might need, from newsstand and internet café to bank, post office, grocers, coffee bars, restaurants of every sort, and public transport.

The Ponte Vecchio flat is a spacious fourth-floor apartment (elevator) in a doorman building facing the Arno. The dining room and ultraspacious living room are lined with windows allowing you to enjoy truly dramatic views over the Ponte Vecchio, the River Arno, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Duomo. Furnishings are a little faded, but they’re pleasant, plentiful, and comfy. (Our current photos do not do justice to the Ponte Vecchio flat; we’ll shortly have better ones.)

Bedrooms are a little more elegant in an old-fashioned way. Two have divisible matrimonials; the third an American double. The kitchen is big enough to have a small table for breakfast, plus an American fridge, conventional oven, microwave, and lots of cupboard space. The two baths, located in the hallway and easily accessible to all three bedrooms, have bathtubs with hand-held showers attachable to the wall. Bathroom and kitchen fittings are old-fashioned but functional. Windows are double-glazed in the bedrooms, but inevitably some noise from the street will filter through, a relatively small price to pay for the unbeatable location and the unforgettable views. Amenities include a phone, TV, clotheswasher, dishwasher, hardwood floors, and, most importantly, a housekeeper who comes in once a week. In summertime, portable air-conditioning units are available for the bedrooms.

If fancy and manicured aren’t make-or-break qualities for you — but rather character, view, and location are priorities — then you can’t ask for a better place than the Ponte Vecchio flat.