Palazzo Bardi is situated on the south side of the river Arno a few minutes walk from the Ponte Vecchio, the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Gardens and, right across the river, the Uffizi Gallery and the shopping district. The building’s original structure dates back to the 15th century, when a myriad of little cobbled roads branched off from the Ponte Vecchio into the Oltrarno, (“The Other Side of The Arno” named thus to distinguish it from the original site of the town which was on “This Side of the Arno). Oltrarno is still one of the city’s most charming and characteristic neighborhoods. The river’s banks were flanked by impressive buildings, known as palazzi, belonging to wealthy aristocratic families (e. g. the Bardi family). In the nineteenth century, the architect Enrico Poggi was chosen to draw up a plan to transform Florence into the worthy capital of the new state of Italy, unified in 1860, a role which Florence maintained for five years, from 1865 to 1870. Poggi’s plan was to give Florence a look of uniformity and subdued elegance without creating a violent contrast with its Renaissance architecture. He therefore decided to maintain the Renaissance color palette of cream plaster and grey pietra serena stone, visible in so many buildings throughout the city. Palazzo Bardi underwent some modifications to conform to his ideal. Lungarno Torrigiani and the other streets along the river, together with the tree lined avenues leading up to the Piazzale Michelangelo were designed by Poggi as places where Florentines could enjoy afternoon strolls and socialize in the open air.

The apartment is situated 7 steps up from the ground floor and is serviced by a doorman, and consists of a spacious entrance which is 5 steps up from the apartment front door, a living room/dining room (round table for 4/6 persons, 2 sofas and writing desk). The bedroom , with twin beds that may be converted to a double, is warm and charming; there is a fully equipped modern eat-in kitchen (table for 4) and a large bathroom (with tub and hand shower). Both the bedroom and the living room have a small windows with full views of the river Arno and the Uffizi Gallery (among other things). The light natural wood ceilings have been carefully restored, as have the floors which are beige tiles similar to travertine stone. The furnishings are a mixture of modern and antique. The entrance is all decorated with frescos showing spring climbing plants twisting on bamboos. All over flowers prints and soft colored fabrics. The apartment is supplied with linen, central-heating, air conditioning, dish washer, washing machine, satellite TV, hair dryer and telephone (& high speed internet) .