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OK, so you've promised yourself (or your partner, who's even more demanding) a hotel on the banks of the River Arno that's preferably within a couple minutes of the Ponte Vecchio and preferably in a 15th-century building that's preferably home to an overdone 18th-century reception area. Oh, and you've promised a breakfast room overlooking the river, too.
Whew. You're already breathless just thinking about finding such a place when something else takes your breath entirely away: Look at the obscene prices being asked by every hotel within a stone's throw of the river! But wait—the dream need not die. The Hotel Bretagna, bless its old-fashioned, un-renovated self, offers all of these. And look at those prices!
This one-star hotel has 18 rooms with TV, telephone, and air-conditioning right on the banks of the river. The lobby is sumptuous, if a bit dated, with creaky hardwood floors, a carved gold-leafed ceiling, flamboyant art, and a balcony overlooking the Arno.
Hallways are crammed with art (and the occasional 18th-century ceramic plate collection), and the decidedly not modern rooms are decorated with framed prints and eclectic mirrors. (The tired, though functional, bathrooms could use a facelift.)
Half the Bretagna's rooms face the quiet and dark interior; the other half (and our personal favorites) looks out onto the neighborhood rooftops. Only one—we repeat—only one faces the river, and it always goes fast. | 
