The super-welcoming, 20-room Hotel Accademia sits in the heart of busy, multiethnic San Lorenzo, just a ten-minute walk from the Duomo. Here kebab stands and Asian markets outside provide a fun contrast to the classic Florentine ambiance inside.
Light streams in along the corridors, and numerous cozy common spaces, including an outdoor terrace, make you feel at home in this 14th-century palazzo. Arches and marbled, painted walls maintain an arty, Florentine feel.
Rooms are decorated in dark wood and red brocade, for an attractive, if not exactly classic feel. Ceilings are elegantly high. Large reproductions of Michelangelo and Raphael add a fun vibe to the place. Blue-and white tiled bathrooms are big and clean. All rooms are air-conditioned too.
This place couldn't be cuter, and bonus, since we last visited rates have dropped, making it a reasonable find for palazzo lovers.
» Annie Shapero
Note: This hotel was visited by a EuroCheapo editor and is recommended based on cleanliness, location, price and overall quality. EuroCheapo did not charge this hotel to be listed.
About the Accademia neighborhood
North of the train station, and decidedly the most colorful neighborhood in Florence, San Lorenzo is home to many of the city's foreign population, many of whom man the stands at the bustling local market. The area is the cheapest place to shop and snack in the center of the city. Peruse the stands wisely for real leather bags and accessories, and be on the look out for fakes. The streets around the market are home to kebab stands and Asian markets galore, as well as cheap clothing and shoe shops. San Lorenzo is also home to Fiaschetteria-Trattoria Mario, the real deal as far as authentic Florentine eating goes, miraculously unruined by fame. There's not one guidebook or magazine that hasn't plastered a logo on the front door.
more about San Lorenzo