Casamanda

Casamanda 2 Bedroom Duplex with stunning rooftop views

Here you will find comfort and style combined, in the perfect city location! Right in the historical center of Florence, Casamanda has been wonderfully renovated into a bright and spacious 2-bedroom/bath duplex penthouse.

This perfect Florentine “home away from home” is a modern penthouse apartment located on the top floor of a beautiful 17th century Florentine palazzo. Access to the spectacular apartment of 1000 sq ft is by private lift to the 4th and final floor. The entrance opens out into an open plan dining room and living room with kitchen corner, where windows abound. The master bedroom is connected on one side of the dining room and the second bedroom is located on the upper floor (15 stairs). Both bedrooms have bathrooms with walk-in showers. Both beds are double mattresses measuring approximately 160cm x 190cm. They cannot be divided into twin beds. The apartment's most incredible feature however is the wonderful L-shaped terrace (350 sq ft) that offers views over the Arno River and the famous Brancacci Chapel and the Church of Cestello with views that lead up to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. The terrace has decked flooring and is the perfect location for panoramic breakfasts, lunches, dinner parties, evening drinks and there is a space which can be used for outdoor pilates and yoga – or simply relaxing and basking under the hot Tuscan sun.

This well-furnished apartment features air-conditioning, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, hairdryers in both bathrooms, electronically controlled shades on all windows, Wi-Fi and Smart TV (living room only).

The grey resin floor throughout the apartment sets off the white furniture and walls and all the windows offer panoramic views out onto the city, the decorative red terracotta lined rooftops and hills both towards Monte Morello and the Boboli Gardens and Forte Belvedere to the south. The windows in the living room look out onto Santa Maria Novella church, the Medici Chapels and the Giotto Bell Tower not to mention a portion of the magnificent Duomo. Penthouse Casamanda represents an indulgent retreat after a day experiencing the wealth of activities that Florence and the surrounding towns and landscapes can offer.

The apartment is equipped with an initital supply of coffee pods, tea, sugar, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, paper napkins and kitchen roll, washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets and washing machine detergent. Each bathroom has an initial supply of toiletries too including shower gel, shampoo, soap and body lotion as well as 2 rolls of toilet paper.

The apartment is located in neigborhood of Santa Maria Novella, on Borgo Ognissanti very close to Via dei Fossi (a road famous for antiquities and vintage stores) and also close to Via della Vigna Nuova and Via Tornabuoni, Florence's elegant “haute-couture” shopping district. The apartment is a short walk from the main Santa Maria del Fiore “Duomo” Cathedral, a 15-minute walk from Ponte Vecchio and it is just across the street from the quaint district of the Oltrarno. There are an abundance of small local shops, caffes, trattorias and restaurants all within easy walking distance. The nearest supermarket is just 4 minutes away by foot on Via dei Fossi.

Santa Maria Novella stretches along the Arno's right bank and it is the first neighborhood to greet visitors after arriving at the area's namesake railway station (by train or tram, line 1). The station and tram stop is a short 7-10 minute walk from the apartment. The Santa Maria Novella neighborhood contains the city's main exhibition center, a complex formed by the Palazzo dei Congressi, the Palazzo degli Affari and the Fortezza da Basso. Here, year after year the center hosts world famous events, such as the renowned Pitti Uomo and the International Handicraft Fair, which attract thousands of visitors worldwide. The neighborhood's fulcrum is undoubtedly the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, one of the city's most important churches and an extraordinary example of Florentine Gothic architecture. Today the church is part of a larger museum complex (the Santa Maria Novella Museum), which besides the Basilica also gives access to the magnificent surrounding structures, such as the Grand Cloister and the Green Cloister. Among the other places of worship in the neighborhood, be sure not to miss the Santa Trinita Basilica (piazza di Santa Trinita) and the Church of Santi Michele e Gaetano (piazza Antinori), each located at one end of via de' Tornabuoni. Last but not least, consider visiting the Church of Ognissanti featuring a Last Supper by Domenico Ghirlandaio (borgo Ognissanti, 42). This neighborhood also contains some of the city's most important museums. More specifically, those dedicated to modern and contemporary art, such as the Museo Novecento (piazza Santa Maria Novella, 10) vaunting a collection of 20th-century works in an innovative layout, the Marino Marini Museum (piazza di S. Pancrazio), featuring the contemporary Tuscan artist's many works, and Palazzo Strozzi (piazza degli Strozzi) which rotates classical art exhibitions with modern and contemporary art exhibitions, making it one of the most important exhibition spaces in Italy. Besides these magnificent spaces, the neighborhood is also home to the Museum of Palazzo Davanzati (via Porta Rossa, 13), where you'll find a reconstruction of a medieval Florentine home (an excellent option when travelling with children), and finally, Museo Ferragamo (Palazzo Spini Feroni, piazza di Santa Trinita, 5 / R), where you can dive headfirst into the history of Italian fashion and the Ferragamo brand.

It's easy to lose yourself among the streets of the Santa Maria Novella neighborhood, between via de' Tornabuoni, via della Vigna Nuova and piazza della Repubblica... the streets offer a wide and varied selection of offerings for all budgets and tastes. You'll find high-end clothing and accessories in a range of upscale fashion stores, but also more affordable clothing and unique goodies. If you're looking for something really out of the ordinary, head to the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (via della Scala, 16), one of the city's most beautiful historic pharmacies. Here, you can buy perfumes, soaps and essential oils prepared using the pharmacy's age-old recipes - all inside an environment that exudes the air of Florence's rich history and traditions.