Florence area, is this asafe place to stay?

[jlf1]

One further question.....we are in the process of finding an area in Florence to stay. We intend to rent an apartment. Is the area around Pizza Santa Maria Novella a safe area to stay?

Thanks, Judy

 

[joe]

A good answer from a qualified person, even if slightly dated :

Answer to What are the good and bad neighborhoods of Florence, Italy? by Gianluca Napolitano https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-...&share=24890d4e&srid=Cc8rJ&target_type=answer

 

[jlf1]

Thank you. We settled on the Santa Croce area of Florence.

 

[Steve R.]

We rented an apt and stayed in Santa Croce 4 or 5 years ago & loved the area. One of the few that still seems to have some residential character and not be overly touristy. So, not that you asked, but there are several things in the Santa Croce area that may not be evident from guide books, etc. & may be worth your attention. First, check out https://scuoladelcuoio.it/en/content/9-history. Its a leather school & retail outlet behind the Santa Croce church: "Entrance through the garden that surrounds the Apse of Monastery of Santa Croce". Well worth going. So is a tour of the church itself. Second is the Sant'Ambrogio Market, off the Piazza Sant'Ambrogio in Santa Croce. Its a much smaller version of the main market & has great produce, cheese, meat, etc. Third is a mosaic studio http://www.imosaicidilastrucci.it/index.php?Lastrucci-Mosaics-Florence that welcomes folks in to browse (& buy) & we thought pretty damn incredible. Obviously, I think you made a good choice of location.

 

[jlf1]

We rented an apt and stayed in Santa Croce 4 or 5 years ago & loved the area. One of the few that still seems to have some residential character and not be overly touristy. So, not that you asked, but there are several things in the Santa Croce area that may not be evident from guide books, etc. & may be worth your attention. First, check out https://scuoladelcuoio.it/en/content/9-history. Its a leather school & retail outlet behind the Santa Croce church: "Entrance through the garden that surrounds the Apse of Monastery of Santa Croce". Well worth going. So is a tour of the church itself. Second is the Sant'Ambrogio Market, off the Piazza Sant'Ambrogio in Santa Croce. Its a much smaller version of the main market & has great produce, cheese, meat, etc. Third is a mosaic studio http://www.imosaicidilastrucci.it/index.php?Lastrucci-Mosaics-Florence that welcomes folks in to browse (& buy) & we thought pretty damn incredible. Obviously, I think you made a good choice of location.

That is great information. Love this kind of information. Many thanks.

 

[SMJ]

Hi!
I’m here in Florence now, and we are renting a wonderful place within 8 mins walk of SMN station.
Quite safe, despite a couple of street people and a couple of Roma women begging this morning when I went to get groceries.
I can let you know which one it is after our return home, if you like.
I prefer to be near train stations for getaways to other towns for day trips, and to get away easily at the end of a stay.
The historical centre of Florence is safe, in my 20 years of visiting and renting apartments here.