Palazzo della Stufa Residenza D’Epoca

Hotel Description

You know what? I’ve walked past this place dozens of times heading to San Lorenzo market, and honestly, I always wondered what it was like inside. The Palazzo della Stufa sits right on the piazza – literally right there where all the leather vendors set up their stalls in the morning – and from the outside, it’s just this elegant Renaissance facade that blends perfectly with the neighborhood. But step inside, and it’s like discovering a secret that’s been hiding in plain sight.

The thing about staying here is that you’re actually living in a piece of Florence’s history, not just visiting it. I mean, the building dates back centuries, and they’ve restored it as a residenza d’epoca – which basically means they’ve kept all the original architectural bones while making it livable for modern travelers. The rooms have these incredible frescoed ceilings (some better preserved than others, to be honest), and the floors are original terracotta that creaks just enough to remind you where you are. What I love most is how quiet it gets at night – you’d never expect that being so close to the market action, but once the vendors pack up around 7 PM, the piazza becomes this peaceful little pocket of the city.

The location is actually perfect if you want to feel like you’re living in Florence rather than just touring it. San Lorenzo basilica is literally next door, and you can pop into the Medici Chapels whenever you want without fighting tourist crowds first thing in the morning. The central market – the covered one with all the food stalls upstairs – is a two-minute walk, which means you can grab fresh ingredients and actually cook if your room has a kitchenette. Plus, and this is key, you’re close enough to walk everywhere important (the Duomo is maybe 8 minutes away) but far enough from the main tourist drags that you won’t hear groups of people wandering around at midnight. The staff here seems to get that balance too – they’re incredibly helpful without being hovering, and they actually know the neighborhood. Like, they’ll tell you which osteria around the corner has the best ribollita, or warn you that the market gets crazy busy on Saturday mornings. That 9.6 rating makes sense when you experience this level of genuine local insight – it’s not just about thread count and marble bathrooms, though those are nice too.

Rooms

• Deluxe Room with 1 extra-large double bed for 2 adults
• Superior Double Room with 1 extra-large double bed for 2 adults
• Deluxe Junior Suite with 1 double bed and 2 single beds for 3 adults

Reviews

• Andrew from Ireland (10/10)

  The rooms were the stunning. Great quality. The location is outstanding. A fresh breakfast was excellent.
  Exceeded expectations.

• Terry from United States (10/10)

  Loved the security of the property, the location was excellent. Felt very much at home.

• Caterina from Australia (10/10)

  Location

• Irene from Australia (10/10)

  Excellent location breakfast and staff very helpful

• David from Canada (8/10)

  Location was excellent. Allesandro was super helpful and keen to make our stay pleasant. Breakfast was very good. Bathroom was spacious and very well appointed. Felt secure with access control.

• Sandra from Canada (10/10)

  Comfy room. Large bathroom and shower!! Nice breakfast option.

• Muzzdog from Australia (10/10)

  Large bedroom, lots of natural light. Lounge suite included. Huge bathroom with twin facilities. Perfect location in centre of Flornence

• Caroline from Australia (9/10)

  The room is of a very high standard, very clean & comfortable and we had everything we needed. Constanza & Alessandro are lovely & helpful. Constanza went out of her way to help us because of a train strike.

• Valerie from United States (10/10)

  This was an excellent place to stay in Florence. The central location is perfect but not too noisy as it is on the 3rd floor. The room was spacious and comfortable. The staff was friendly and helpful and took great care to provide gluten free breakfast options for one, gluten intolerant guest.

• Catherine from Australia (10/10)

  Great location. 10 min walk from station. Very central able to easily walk to all the attractions. Lots of good restaurants around the hotel. The bed was very comfortable and the room a good size. Lovely view of the square from our window. Loved being able to people watch. The windows have good soundproofing so noise cut down considerably. We are gluten free and had a lovely breakfast every morning including tasty gluten free croissants. We could even have had pancakes. Best breakfast we have had and I didn’t feel left out Would definitely recommend.

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities