This is a quirky, delightful small hotel located near the Pointe Vecchio. The staff are helpful and informative. Sip a glass of wine on the rooftop of La Scaletta and enjoy the Florence sunset!

Wonderful quaint hotel at the foot of the Ponte Vechico. Quiet and with a view from the room that was breathtaking. Very nice large room. Hotel was interesting that all the rooms were linked by crazy stairs everywhere. I would most certainly stay here again!

This was my second time staying at La Scaletta (first went in 2006). Last year I stayed for 5 days; this year for 8. My friend and I were delighted to be received so warmly by the same staff as last year--the lovely and most helpful Giovanna, Silvia and Sara (who speak fluent English), as well as the ladies in the kitchen! Scaletta, with all its staircases and nooks and crannies, is a charming, modest and homey place. The continental breakfast (included in the price) is generous and yummy. Construction on the terrace was in progress last year. The now-finished 2-level terrace is delightful, offering excellent views of the Duomo, Palazzo Pitti and the whole of Florence and the distant hills. To have your morning coffee there is to be in heaven... And an evening glass of wine (available for 3 euros at the terrace bar) is pretty great, too.

Scaletta is close to everything a visitor to Florence wants to see--the Uffizi, the Duomo, etc. You can walk to Santa Maria Novella in a leisurely 20 minutes.

Because there are so many stairs, it is not appropriate for guests with mobility issues. The elevator is quite small, but perfectly serviceable if you have a little patience and a sense of humor. It does make an alarming banging sound when it stops, but that's part of its charm. If you come home late, there's a switch on the stairs that will light up the stairs.

I've stayed in 2 rooms--#30 (2 people) and #32 (4 people), both very clean, comfortable and air conditioned. Scaletta may not suit guests who are used to more lavish accommodations. The bathrooms (and showers) are small, which seems to bother some Americans. It's a little inconvenient, I admit, but how much time are you planning to spend in there?

Negative comments really must be taken with a grain of salt. As Americans we are used to over-sized and slick. La Scaletta is neither. My friend and I were completely satisfied with the accommodations and service, and we do not hesitate to recommend it to travelers hoping for a low key, thoroughly pleasant, old world (in the best sense) experience.

I plan to stay there again when I return to Florence.

We stayed at the Hotel La Scaletta for 3 nights. You can take bus "D" to the hotel (it stops closer to the Pitti Palace, but this is right by the hotel.) Bus tickets were 1 euro each - don't forget to validate them!

I should have read an earlier review, but I didn't know that La Scaletta meant 'little steps.' And there are a lot of them at this hotel. I have a bad knee and it was quite painful to have to walk up and down 25 or so step each time I wanted to get to my room. We stayed in a triple room for our first two nights, as this was all that was available. The room decor is very old italian which added to the charm of the hotel. The bathroom was very very small. The hotel did have air conditioning. There was not a safe in the room. The beds were terrible - hard as rocks in both rooms we stayed in!

On our third night, we were transferred to a double room which was on the main floor of the reception area - this meant no more stairs! However, the room did have some mold on the ceiling, which was slightly disturbing....

The hotel staff is great and they have free internet. Make sure they really understand what you are saying in english - because sometimes they acted like they knew, but they really didn't.

Breakfast was mediocre - but I guess this is okay for a 2 star hotel. The hotel terrace is great.

We received a discount for paying in cash.

My parents stayed in a nicer hotel on the other side of the Arno river, for less money - but this is because they booked earlier than we did. If you know you are going to be staying in Florence and it is summer, book at the hotel of your choice asap.