I hope to visit Florence many times in my life and I will always stay at the Bellevue House. Antonio was so kind and takes great care of his B&B. He gave us fantastic restaurant recommendations and a map (better than the ones we had brought along), so we could easily find our way. He was also happy to make our museum reservations and arranged a taxi for us as well. The room was huge- with a nice shower and sink in the room. Our private bathroom outside of our room was also very clean. Yes, it was on the 4th floor and there was no elevator, (get used to that in Italy)- but it was clean, decent mattress, simple and had the Italian homey feeling that we were hoping for. The location couldn't have been better for us. We arrived by train and the Santa Maria Novella (the main Florence train station) was just a 5 minute walk away and then within walking distance to every great destination in Florence. We loved this B&B.

I knew the rooms were on the fourth floor of a very old building but I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to walk up 91 stone steps to my room. Very poorly lit at night and scary (the building door was unlocked until about 10pm, anyone could enter the stairwell). Antonio (the owner) was gracious and helpful but that wasn't enough to compensate for the worst mattress I've ever met. It was like trying to sleep on a box spring. The Italian government doesn't allow hotels to use air conditioning in the spring (energy savings measure) and since it was unseasonably hot in Florence (high 70's). I left my window open in the evening. Big mistake. I was eaten alive by mosquitoes coming in from the funky-smelling courtyard (more than a slight wiff of sewer smell). I had to buy an 11 euro little tube of hydrocortisone cream because the dozen bug bites were so bad. Another guest told me she had the same problem. Maybe a window screen would be in order? If you book a room at this B&B (which doesn't offer breakfast !), just be aware that it is the most basic, one star room. It had a TV but no English channel (not even BBC or CNN). If you can afford to pay a little more, I'd recommend upgrading to a 2 or 3 star place (there's plenty to choose from in the immediate area). Between the incredibly uncomfortable bed and the insects, I had very poor sleep the whole time I was there. There were apartments across the courtyard and the people kept their windows (with screens) open and they were very noisy until midnight every night. I wanted a comfortable place to return to after sight-seeing but this place was was terrible.

Bellevue House is in a great location if you are arriving by train. It takes about five minutes to arrive and the directions are good. When you are leaving the train station, go out the main (front) doors and head to your right. To reach Bellevue House there are four stories of stairs to climb so keep this in mind if you have any physical limitations. Antonio was fantastic. He was friendly when we arrived, provided us with information about what to do while in Florence, recommendations for meals/gelato, directions to places that we wanted to go to and let us know about special events happening in the evening (wine and music festival). One restaurant Antonio recommended was L' Osteria di Giovanni and the meal and experience was wonderful. Our room was perfect and we have no complaints. The common areas were beautiful with plants/flowers everywhere. We would certainly return if we should find ourselves in Florence again.

My wife and I spent three nights at the Bellevue House on an extended trip through Italy, nd were very happy with our room and the service provided by Antonio and his wife. We stayed in the "Carolina" room, which offered a rooftop view of Florence towards the Palacio Vecchio and also featured a separate sitting area with a small bed, and a nice bathroom. Antonio met us as promised, offered some nice tips for touring the city, and was available to answer questions. Note that this hotel is on the 3rd floor of an old building (meaning it is up 4 flights of stairs!), so this might not be a good place for individuals with mobility limitations or who have a lot of heavy liuggage. It was easy to find from the train station & within an easy 10-20 min. walk of the primary tourinst sights in Florence. The hotel is small, essentially six rooms on the upper floor of what was in the 16th century a portion of a large house or palace, and the current owner & his wife live two floors down in a residential part of the building. Therefore, there is no desk for issues or questions after Antonio stops by in the evening around 8 p.m., which was actually nice... there were other people in the hotel when we stayed, but they were very quiet & we hardly noticed they were there! Beds were "OK", large king size but could have been a bit softer... pillows were just average. Internet would have been nice... ther is an internet spot directly across the street. Towel heater in the bathroom - which was nice given we were staying on a few cold winter days! Overall, an excellent place and will definitly stay again!