Teeny Tiny's Travel Tuesdays: Sleeping in Florence

Teeny Tiny has been to Florence a few times, and each time, he stayed somewhere different. On this trip, he made sure to stop by all of the old hotels to see if they had changed over time. Hotel Casci, run by the Lombardi family, had undergone some renovation but was still the same wonderful place as it was fourteen years ago. Halfway down Via Cavour between the Duomo and San Marco, the Casci was Teeny Tiny's home for nearly a month. He liked to imagine his Medici neighbors as still roaming the palace next door. During this trip, there was some construction being done on the facade, but he sort of got a picture:


He once stayed in the Albergo Universo, just off the piazza of Santa Maria Novella. At that time, the hotel may not have had any stars, and he had to share a bathroom, but he remembers it as clean and with a friendly staff. It too has undergone some renovations (apparently art deco is a thing now) in the last decade. The entrance remained unchanged, however:



The other place Teeny Tiny stayed in Florence all those years ago was still there too, but he refused to take a picture. Hotel Zanzari, as he renamed it, only holds terrifying memories of nights dominated by thousands of mosquito attacks. He will not describe the place further, except to say that the walls were streaked with blood.



Luckily, Teeny Tiny's fortunes have changed since his undergraduate days, and he was able to book a higher class of hotel for this most recent trip. Actually, the N4U Guest House was a bit cheaper than the renovated Casci, and it offers great deals if you book in advance.



Occupying a floor of a renovated 14th-century palace on Via del Proconsolo just a block from the Duomo, the N4U is run by the wonderfully tiny and charming Lorenzo. Lorenzo let Teeny Tiny use his computer to print some pre-ordered tickets to the local museums. He brought strawberries to the room in the evening and loved to tell stories of the history of the old palace. Each room at N4U is done in a theme color and is in no way teeny tiny.



The silver room (or London Grey) was a corner room with two great windows that provided both a cross breeze and the nighttime music of Florence (and only one mosquito).



The neighbors seemed homey and friendly. Unlike many Italian hotels within Teeny Tiny's budget, the silver room in N4U had a great modern bathroom.



The shower was a delight.



Even Ernie Little found the place to be supremely relaxing.



Teeny Tiny had a lovely Italian breakfast every day in his room before he headed out into the city. He even got to practice his Italian with the woman who brought him his yogurt and breads. The N4U Guest House was so charming that no matter how many times Teeny Tiny wins the lottery, he will take advantage of its great deals and character until he buys his own flat in Florence.