LJ, tuscanlifeedit, and all,

This is so helpful. Many thanks.

They're going in April, the other family just having firmed up their plans, and I'm just about to get my mind around the idea and do some serious guide book reading.

Well how much of a coincidence is that!the Hotel Santa Croce is where we stayed with the kids in the school group we were leading...yes, I absolutely endorse this!

LJ

I hadn't heard of the Hotel Santa Croce until I was doing research for these women. They were pleased, especially considering price and location.

We had an apartment near there for about 4 years in a row. I like that area and I always noticed the young people.

When we went with DD's high school many years ago, they put us on the other side of Florence, near more business hotels. I didn't like the idea of the kids walking back and forth at night.

Santa Croce would be great, I think.

They, did it, they loved it, and they made it back. Thanks to all who helped make it seem possible.

They ended up staying at Hotel Bavaria www.hotelbavariafirenze.it/
and thought it was perfect, including the showers down the hall. Breakfast perfect. Stairs no prob.

Florence the ideal city, and their all time favorite. Less touristy than they had feared, at that time, anyway.

Dear Stokebailey: I had wondered how this adventure ended and I am so pleased it worked out well for ALL of you. Thanks for posting. Any tips for other parents who may look up this thread in the future?

Oh, wouldn't a trip report by the two girls be a fabulous read?

Good for you for letting them go without getting hysterical/paranoid about it. They'll have a grand time and you'll be surprised how mature teenagers of this age can be when you trust them. They'll remember this trip the whole of their lives.

Thank you, LJ, noe and nona, for your kind comments.

Their student dance company has one more big show this weekend, and then I hope they can put together a trip report from their journals.

A few tips that might be generally helpful:

They found the LP Florence guide essential, and they took a mini Larousse Italian dictionary and a phrase book. Before we okayed the trip they had a basic survival Italian. Their French was already fairly solid.

My lawyer brother sent me a form giving the 18 yo power of attorney including for health care decisions, just in case and thanks be not needed. My husband and I each had two forms notarized at work and each daughter carried them. I'd be happy to share the legalese for those of you not fortunate enough to have a family lawyer.

They also carried photocopies of passports, though I forgot about having credit card #s separate. The hotels took custody of their passports at checkin; I forgot about that part.

We had itinerary details including phone #s and hotel confirmations in a folder of our email, so they could easliy get to them. Each had ATM and credit card from different institutions.

Partly out of conviction that they'd be just as well off without a mobile phone, and partly out of procrastination, we never worked out a SIM. Instead, they used pay phones and a OneSuite.com account #. Lighter, inexpensive, and I wasn't tempted to interrupt them in the middle of a performance or something. They called daily except when with our friends in Lyon.

After a few days hearing their excited voices with things under control, I relaxed and thought this must be what it feels like when they're both off at college: off doing good things, using their own judgement.