I have the pleasure of spending a month in Italy. I'm thinking of renting an apartment in Florence so I can have easy access to trains to explore other parts of Italy. Can anyone recommend what neighborhood I should be looking at in Florence? I'm less concerned about budget and looking for somewhere that is not isolated, not too touristy, yet can give me enough distractions to keep myself entertained. I'll be on my own and want to get immersed in the language and culture of Italy. Many thanks.

Well, I've not had experience of renting anywhere in Florence. But for neighborhoods, I'd say Oltrarno is your best bet for staying out of the touristy areas. Bellosguardo (Beautiful Glimpse) and Monte Uliveto (Olive Grove Hill) are not cheap but are two magnificent areas. Should you choose, you can also live in a "suburb" of Florence like Sesto Fiorentino, and "commute" into Florence by bus. It's a small town that can be easily negotiated, and lends itself well to a lot of interaction with the locals. There's a cinema there, and every evening in Sesto seems to be a night to meet your neighbors at the gelateria.

BC

I have stayed in this studio for a total of 6 weeks. It's small and basic, but I coped very well! It's in the Oltrarno area, which I found very interesting. The rental is very reasonable, and you can walk to the train station in about 15 to 20minutes.

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/Ita....htm#unitrates

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here is the email for my landlord in florence
his name is Lorenzo, tell him andrea brody sent you
maybe he has something that fits your needs

I would very much enjoy a month in Firenze, but I would also enjoy a month in Arezzo and a month in Bologna -- the later especially for its great train connections and food culture. (I would pick Arezzo to be in a beautiful but non-touristy Renaissance city, with authentic restaurants).

If you want all the riches of Firenze, I am not trying to dissuade you in the slightest. But if you are looking to for a base from which you can see many, many great Italian locations, with a lot variety, Bologna has a great deal to offer, including porticoes to shelter you from blistering sun or rain (or snow), great food to come home to every night and a very non-tourist feel. From Bologna it is not hard to visit Ravenna, Ferrara, Parma, Milan, Mantova, Verona, even Venice, and Florence is only 45 minutes away.

Arezzo is not as well situated for reaching out in all directions by train, but it is simply not mobbed as Firenze (only 40 minutes away). It makes a nice base if you want to occasionally rent a car or make bus forays to smaller Tuscan towns, and it has legendary shopping. And you can explore a bit of Umbria if that interests you, by train (Orvieto and Perugia.)