Spacious family home with garden, ten minutes walk to the EUI

Description

We are a German-Irish family with three children (now aged 12, 10, and 7) who moved to Florence in September 2017. Fergal and Helen both worked at the European University Institute, which is based in a former monastery in the north of Florence, halfway up one of the famous Florentine Hills in the direction of Fiesole. We chose our apartment near Via Boccaccio because it combines the benefits of living in a friendly, vibrant neighbourhood with all amenities within walking distance to Brunelleschi's Duomo with the advantages of cleaner air and ease of access to the countryside without getting trapped in traffic. The bus stop for bus # 1, which goes to the main train station, is just around the corner, around 50 meters from where we live. Parco Pettini Burresi, one of the best playgrounds in Florence, is around 300 meters away. The apartment, on the ground floor of a two-storey building, is located on a quiet one-way street. High ceilings (3,60 meters) and a highly effective portable AC unit ensure that it stays reasonably cool in summer. Apart from a large live-in kitchen and small separate laundry room, there are three bedrooms, one of which features an en-suite bathroom and French doors onto the garden. Upon moving here in September 2017, we invested money into comfortable beds. Two of the three double beds have ergonomic mattresses with washable anti-allergic covers. As we both work from home, there are also two desks with good lighting and one comfortable office chair. All rooms have parquet floors. The window frames and most of the furniture, including kitchen cabinets, are also made of wood, lending a natural atmosphere to the whole place. This main part of the apartment is 90 m2 in size. In addition, there is also a large room (20m2) in the basement with tiled floors. It could also serve as a guest room. The basement windows do not provide much light, but they allow the room to be aired, and central heating keeps it warm and dry. The garden is around 70m2 in size, with a spacious terrace and optional paddling pool. We recently installed mosquito nets and full double glazing throughout the house. We will be spending two years in Germany, and returning in September 2025. Helen has a chair of politics in Mainz, and Fergal will be taking full parental leave. We are interested in renting for the entire period, but rentals of one year or even one semester could also work.