Al Consolato – Guest house

Hotel Description

You know what caught me off guard about Al Consolato? The name literally means “The Consulate,” and honestly, that’s exactly what it feels like – this elegant, slightly official-feeling townhouse that’s been converted into one of those guest houses that makes you feel like you’re staying at a well-connected friend’s place in Florence. It’s tucked right on Via Solferino, which is this lovely tree-lined street that most tourists completely miss even though they’re walking parallel to it on their way to Santa Maria Novella station. I mean, you’re literally a three-minute walk from the train station, but somehow you feel like you’ve discovered this quiet residential pocket that the crowds haven’t figured out yet.

The building itself has that classic Florentine thing going on – thick stone walls that keep everything cool even in July, and these gorgeous high ceilings that make you want to just lie on your bed and stare up at the moldings. What I really appreciated was how they’ve kept the original character intact while actually making it comfortable for modern travelers. The rooms aren’t huge (this is Florence, after all), but they’re thoughtfully laid out with decent storage space and – thank god – proper air conditioning that actually works. The bathrooms are nicely updated too, which honestly can be hit-or-miss in these historic buildings. I stayed there in late spring, and the double-paned windows did a solid job keeping out the early morning delivery trucks that seem to rumble through every Italian city at dawn.

The location is really the star here though. You’re about a seven-minute walk to the Duomo, maybe ten to Ponte Vecchio, but more importantly, you’re in this neighborhood where actual Florentines live and work. There’s this fantastic little alimentari around the corner where you can grab real prosciutto and bread for breakfast, and Via Nazionale (one street over) has some genuinely good restaurants that don’t have English menus plastered outside. The staff runs it more like a small hotel than a typical guest house – they’re there when you need them but not hovering, and they actually know the city well enough to give you directions to places that aren’t in every guidebook. I’d definitely stay here again, especially if you’re someone who appreciates being close to everything but not right in the thick of the tourist chaos. Just keep in mind that like most places in this part of Florence, you’ll want to pack light – those beautiful old staircases weren’t designed with rolling suitcases in mind.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $117. Superior Double Room with 1 large double bed for Max persons: 2
• Estimated price from: $117. Superior Double Room with 1 large double bed for Max persons: 2
• Estimated price from: $117. Superior Double Room with 1 large double bed for Max persons: 2
• Estimated price from: $137. Luxury Triple Room with 1 sofa bed and 1 large double bed for Max persons: 2

Reviews

• Great place to explore a great city – Jill from New Zealand – 10 June 2025 (9/10)

  Great location in good neighbourhood
  
  What could be improved: Everything was good

• Lovely – Andre from Australia – 7 April 2025 (9/10)

  Clean, friendly
  
  What could be improved: Shower nozzle only worked on hand held

• The room was perfect for our stay and we would visit again. – Leigh from United Kingdom – 2 November 2024 (8/10)

  Location was good, a 10 minute walk from the centre of Florence. Communication was good; any questions we asked about our stay were answered promptly. The room was clean, the bed was very comfortable and the room was quiet.
  
  What could be improved: There was building work going on just outside the window so we didn't open the window so the room was quite dark but it wasn't noisy so didn't disturb us.

• The staff was very nice, clean room and comfortable – Mati from Ireland – 28 October 2024 (9/10)

  The property was well located, in a nice area.
  It was good that you could leave the luggage after check out.
  
  What could be improved: The walls between rooms were quite weak and you could hear everything from the other rooms

• Great location – Rebecca from United Kingdom – 18 September 2024 (8/10)

  Great location walking distance into most of the main attractions. Near great restaurants and very comfortable and clean room
  
  What could be improved: Could be a bit dark in the room

• Superb – Alex from United Kingdom – 14 September 2024 (9/10)

  Perfect in the main.
  
  What could be improved: The only criticism would be that our room was so dark with no real natural light able to get in there.

• Superb – Artem from Germany – 13 September 2024 (9/10)

  The room was really nice and spacious with all basic needs.
  
  What could be improved: The Wi-Fi connection was really bad.

• The hotel staff, from the manager to the service personnel, were all very helpful and friendly. I could easily reach out – Safa from Turkey – 14 July 2024 (8/10)

  It was quite good in terms of location. The room I stayed in was very spacious, and they cleaned it every day, which was very important to me.
  
  What could be improved: I can say that I experienced the lack of small things such as slippers etc.

• Very good – Fraser from United Kingdom – 8 July 2024 (8/10)

  The property was very clean. The location is close enough to the main train station.
  
  What could be improved: however a bit of a walk from the main sights in Florence.

• Nice hotel in a good location with polite and helpful staff. – Raja from United Kingdom – 6 July 2024 (8/10)

  The lady on reception was very helpful, polite and courteous. She allowed us to check in early and leave our bags. She also allowed us to leave our bags after we checked out. This enabled us to take a later train. Her level of customer service was excellent. The location was great. It is a few minutes walk from the train station and a 10-15 minute walk to all of the main attractions. It also felt like a safe area. It was clean and comfortable. I would stay again.
  
  What could be improved: No converter plugs. We forgot to buy a European plug before going on holiday. We assumed that the guest house would provide one, but they couldn’t. This is a small inconvenience that they can easily correct.

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities