B&B Monte Oliveto

This small family-owned bed-and-breakfast is among beautiful row houses on a quiet residential street outside of Florence's center. Guests enter off the street through an iron gate and walk up several stairs to a beautiful terrace with a cafe table and potted flowers and greenery. Inside, the house is elegant and refined, but welcoming and cozy, with soft colors on the walls and decor reminiscent of a bright Italian country villa. A downy sofa and armchair encourage guests to relax in the homelike space. Common spaces are limited to the terrace at the entrance, the living room, and the garden out back where breakfast is served in the summer. The owner, Donatella, and her daughter, Nicola, provide warm hospitality that draws rave reviews. This bed-and-breakfast attracts all sorts of travelers, including couples, families, solo travelers, and groups of friends. 

The bed-and-breakfast is located in a quiet residential area on the south side of the Arno River, just outside the city center. The street is elegant and lined with row houses. Reaching the city center can be a nice walk; getting to the Duomo takes about 25 minutes on foot. The area is also well-served by buses that can reach the city center in 15 minutes. Parking is easier near the hotel than in some other areas of the city, making drives into the city possible as well. The bed-and-breakfast is a 10-minute walk from the San Frediano neighborhood, one of the most authentic areas in Florence, with artisans' shops and the famous Brancacci Chapel. The location is convenient and central enough, with a supermarket, restaurants, a pharmacy, bank, and bus stop all within a short walk. The Santa Maria Novella train station is reachable by a 20-minute walk, or 15 minutes by taxi, and Florence's airport is 20 minutes away by car.

The four rooms are individually decorated, but all have air-conditioning, a balcony or terrace, coffee/tea-making facilities, a digital music player, mini-fridge, free Wi-Fi, a work desk, flat-screen TV, and a safe. The majority are spacious, and with the exception of the Mimosa Room start at 20 square meters (215 square feet). The Wisteria Room is a large double room with a private bathroom. Lavender walls are highlighted with accents of soft lime green on drapery, chair cushions, pillows, and the headboard. A bed canopy adds a sense of romance, and a floral rug softens the tile floor. The private bathroom features beige tiled walls, a pedestal sink, hairdryer, packaged toiletries, and a small stand-up shower. French doors in the bathroom lead to the furnished balcony, which looks out onto a lovely courtyard and hillside with trees, shrubs, and flowers. The Mansard Room is a bright loft space with a double and single bed that can sleep up to three people. It also has a private bathroom, as well as a kitchen space equipped with a sink, cook top, and supplies for cooking and dining. The space is a bit quirky, with a sloped beamed ceiling, sponged orange accent walls, a red bedspread on the double bed and a gold one on the single, and brown and black plaid curtains. The sitting area has a sofa with a red covering in front of the TV. A cafe table with two chairs provides a dining spot. The private bathroom is bright blue with blue tiles on the walls and floors, and a bathtub with a hand-held showerhead. The furnished balcony looks out onto the green hillside. The Sage and Mimosa rooms share an external bathroom. The Sage Room is a double room with bright green walls, a rich red bedspread, red, green, and gold striped draperies, and wood furnishings from the first half of the 20th century. A white canopy tops the red metal bed. Views are of the street. The Mimosa Room is a small single with wood floors, a patchwork bedspread on a single wooden sleigh bed, floral curtains and desk topper, and soft yellow walls. The space is cozy, a just nine square meters (97 square feet), but funky. The small shared external bathroom is bright blue, with blue tile on the walls and floor, and a stand-up shower. 

When the weather is good, a daily free breakfast that can include fruit, homemade pastries, crepes yogurt, and coffee is served on a lovely terrace with a teak dining set topped by an umbrella and flowers and greenery all around. The hosts assist with booking restaurants, museums, and tours, and also provide maps and brochures. Laundry service is available. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel and luggage storage is available. Donatella also paints watercolors which she sells.