Housing in Florence

Housing in Florence can be very limited, as the city is very small and there are international students and tourists constantly moving in. My program, California State University International Program, didn’t provide housing options for students, so we all had to search independently to find an apartment/Airbnb. Some other, more expensive programs do provide housing, which usually are small apartment buildings next to the school location that house 3-4 students per flat. Keep in mind that there are no “American style” universities with dorms in Florence. My university building was actually within living quarters with the owners of the building living on the top floor. 

I rented a studio apartment located in San Lorenzo from apartmentsflorence.com. It came with a large bathroom with a new shower, bidet, and wide sink. There was also a large window in the bathroom that helped the airflow when I showered. There was an AC unit and a little heater that I had to put right next to my bed to keep me warm during the cold winter. The kitchen came with no freezer or oven, but it did have a stovetop and a microwave which was useful. There was a TV that I only occasionally put on when I felt uncomfortable or lonely and needed some background noise. The street was honestly pretty noisy, but I slept fine. I was near to the train station but didn't have any dangerous activity on my street. I was located right next to the Mercato Centrale and Capelli Medici, and was only about a 15-minute walk to the river or my university.

Get a head start and search on:

• Idealista https://www.idealista.it/

• Apartments Florence https://www.apartmentsflorence.it/ (What I Used)

• Milligan & Milligan https://www.florence.rentals/ (Very Reliable)

• Housing in Florence https://www.housinginflorence.com/

• Housing Anywhere https://housinganywhere.com/

• Florence and Abroad https://www.florenceandabroad.com/

• Apartments in Florence https://apartmentsinflorence.net/

• Airbnb https://www.airbnb.com/ 

Some things you should consider when apartment hunting is whether or not they have AC and heating because it can get brutally hot in Florence and not every unit will come with air conditioning. Another thing to consider is laundry. Some apartments will have a washing machine, but almost none will have a dryer. What's most common is a drying rack or line to dry your clothes. My studio didn't have a washing machine, but I used a laundromat on the corner of my block. It was about 12 euro for a wash and dry, which I think is pretty standard. Most apartments also don't have elevators. I only lived on the 2nd floor (which us Americans would call the 3rd floor) so I wasn't in desperate need of one anyway. My friends, on the other hand, lived on the 4th floor (5th floor in America), and struggled to lift their large suitcases up and down the stairs. A tip for living in Florence is to leave your windows cracked open when you leave the house, to prevent mold from growing. Mold can be a common problem because of the humidity levels in the city.