This review is one of turning lemons to lemoncello! Before leaving for Italy, we made a reservation at the Hotel Bigallo in Florence, Italy. We had stayed there on several occasions and always in the same room with a view of the Duomo and belltower. Upon arriving, we were stunned to see that the entire front of the hotel was covered in scaffolding. I commented on the scaffolding to the desk clerk as we checked in and she indicated that it would not matter and we would still be able to see the Duomo. When we opened the window of the room, we were stunned to be face to face with a workman on the scaffolding chiseling stucco. The room was filled with the smell and grit of plaster dust from the restoration and the sound of the chisel and flying plaster. Returning to the desk, we said that we could not possibly stay in the room. She was very nice and immediately made some phone calls and in a very short time, a gentleman appeared to escort us to their other properties...the Hotel De Lanzi and La Repubblica Apartments. They gave us a choice of a room at the Hotel De Lanzi or an apartment overlooking Piazza Republica. We chose the apartment. It was a large room with cooking facilitites, which we did not use and a nicely tiled bath. We took breakfast each morning in the Hotel DeLanzi dining room. After our initial shock at the Bigallo scaffolding, we were more than pleased with the way the staff addressed the situation and our concerns. They could not have been more accommodating and we will return again and again.
- Bigallo Hotel Florence
