I am planning on traveling to Italy in mid-July. Any suggestions for moderately priced hotels near shopping and sites? Helene

We very much liked the Hotel Bellettini annex, which was "reasonable" 3 yrs. ago and is very well located. www.hotelbellettini.com

Good morning, Helene Normally have stayed at the HOTEL CONTINENTAL during past trips, however decided last November to change hotels and the HOTEL TORRE GUELFA, was picked and we were very well satisified with it. We were able to get room no. 15, which is located atop of the hotel with its own large patio with a decent view of
Florence.. We were very satisified with it and would surely return on our next trip. Richard of LaGrange Park, Il.. It is located about 1./2 block from the Ponte Vecchio on the Borgo SS. Tornabuoni. Three star with 21 rooms and with lift...

Hi Helene,

What is "moderately priced"?

Hi...I guess somewhere around $125-$150 a night U.S. dollars. Thanks. Helene

I highly recommend the following
www.relaiscavalcanti.com

I paid 115Euros per night and it was a lovely hotel in the heart of everything.

We just returned from Italy and while in Florence stayed at the Hotel David (www.davidhotel.com)
It is about a 10 minute walk to downtown along the Arno River. Given that Florence is sooooo busy, it was good to get away from the main hub.The hotel has 2 great sitting rooms with lots of newspapers and magazines. The room and bathroom were very large. We stayed in Room 318. They have free internet access and a happy hour at 6 pm. The breakfast was included and it was very good. We paid 120 Euros per night.

My wife and I stayed at Hotel Albergotto [www.albergotto.com] which was situated on Via Tournabuoni. You couldn't have had a better location for all the designer shops!

You're welcome to read my views on the hotel in the journal of our visit to Florence last year.
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/~fos007/travel.htm

Have you been before? Florence is beautiful.

In May 2003, we stayed at the Hotel Alessandra. 1 block from the Arno, one block or so from the Uffitzi and very pleasant. Our room was a quad for $205.

Hi. Helene
Why stay downtown in the heavily airpolluted and noisy Florence when heaven is just a step up in the Fiesole direction, i.e. 5-8 kms north-east uphill. Yes, I am thinking of Pensione Bencista (translated: The "Here you will have a nice and comfortable stay" Pension.) It is situated very close to the very high-class St Michele hotel in the Fiesole hillside, with an extraordinary fantastic Florence and Tuscany view. Do not hesitate; go there!!
To find out, make a search on Bencista, Karen Brown or whatever related sites.
And here is what some others say:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/

Fiesole: Pensione Bencista: "Pensione Bencista is a treasure"
Date: September 29, 2003
Reviewer: A TripAdvisor User, Chicago, Illinois

We have been staying at the Bencista for years and it has become my favorite hotel. It is the perfect spot if you wish to be above the noise and pollution of Florence. Since it is only a few paces from a stop on the #7 bus line it is still a quick trip down into town. Upon arrival you'll probably have to step over the dog that's sleeping on the doorstep, this only adds to the charm. This pensione can best be described as "simple". Spotless rooms with red tile floors, whitewashed walls and timber ceilings. No TV, just the silence of the hills, punctuated by birds and the bells from village churches. If you're lucky the students at the conservatory down the hill will be practicing with windows open. Breakfast and Dinner are included. Breakfast is fine, dinner could use a major upgrade but is OK. We always plan on eating out for several meals to break the monotony. After dinner grab a drink from the tiny bar and head to one of the several small drawing rooms. But, the real treat here is the view from the terrace. A million dollar view, plan on spending your siesta time on the terrace with a drink and good book. When booking, be sure to ask for a room with a view of Florence. The only quibble, rapidly escalating prices.

I wish you a georgious Florence and Tuscany stay

Bjorn, Oslo

PS By the way: Did you know that the young Henrik Ibsen in 1850 (28 years old) wrote the play "Catalina" in the name of his pseudonym Brynjulf Bjarme? Catalina was a Roman rebellion general that had his headquarter and main bastion at Fiesole, where you now can experience a very well preserved Roman Theatre and -museum.

Please take no notice of my typos and not-mother-tongue-grammar
B

Whoops!
Sorry: In 1850 Henrik Ibsen, alias Brynjulf Bjarme, ws nothing more than 18 years old. The rebell Catalina, however, had been dead for centuries until the grat writer pushed him back to life...
B

This message is for dicky2: So, you have stayed at the Hotel Continentale...I am leaving for Italy on Thursday. Is the hotel a good choice, and the Hotel Torre Guelfa, is it more or less the same as Hotel Continentale?

We enjoyed our stay at the Albergo Firenze, Plaza Donati 4, phone 011 39 55 26 83 01. It is a one star hotel in the pedestrian zone of Florence, about two blocks from the Duomo and a few blocks from the Uffizi. We stayed in room 502, a quad that was simple but comfortable, with a large bathroom and tub. Some of the rooms, like room 503 (a double) have views of the Duomo. We paid about $110/night in 2000. The hotel is in walking distance to some very nice shops. I recommend Pelletterrie S. Firenze, 15 Piazza S. Firenze, where I bought a very well crafted leather briefcase at a reasonable price.

Helene I stayed at the Hotel Allessandra as well and also recommend it. We got a double w/air conditioning for about 140 Euro (about $175) per night. Have a great time.

Having just returned from my trip, I can tell you *not* to stay at either of the hotels I stayed in Florence if smoke is a problem for you. I was absolutely miserable in both rooms from the choking smell of smoke, but if this does not bother you both would be good inexpensive options. The first was Hotel Pagnini near the train stations (but Florence is small enough you can walk to anywhere from any hotel in the city center, including by the station), 78 euro/night, very cutely furnished, friendly staff. The second was Hotel Dante, friendly staff, right at Santa Croce, but in addition to the choking odor of cigarettes there was an even more choking odor of room perfume used to cover up the smoke smell. Awful. I had to take Benadryl at night so I didn't suffocate in my sleep, leave the hotel immediately upon rising and not return until night time, and take Actifed during the day to be able to breathe. It was 101 Euro/night; certainly not worth the extra E20 over Pagnini for a comparable hotel experience.

you cannot get any better location than hotel casci and the service is really good, too. you can walk everywbere from there.

topping- it's great to get current experiences!

I would second "Wondering's" recommendation of Hotel Casci ... stayed there in May and found the hotel conveniently located (walking distance to everything!) and the staff about as friendly and helpful as you could ever hope for ... spoke English and willing to do anything to make your stay pleasent. www.hotelcasci.com

Have to agree with the Casci recommendation. We loved it and so did friends who went on our recommendation. The owners/staff are just so helpful and nice, and the location can't be beat!

Just a note to the poster- I posted this in another thread as well. The Hotel Casci is 150 Euros (on their website) in the summer months. From all of the great recommendations, it certainly sounds worth it. But that's just an FYI, since Helene mentioned her budget was $125-150 USD.

Good luck!