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Now for a quick history lesson:
As you may have heard, a family by the name of Medici ruled Florence from the 13th to the 17th century. Along with four popes, a woman named Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici sits on the family tree. She was one of the last of that famed family (her daddy was the last grand duke).
When she died, she left all the Medici family possessions, including a whole lot of art, to the city of Florence. This, according to Evelyn, the lovely Welsh-born owner of the Pensione Maria Luisa de'Medici, demonstrates that the great lady foresaw the boons of tourism. Thus, Florence owes its booming tourism trade to her.
Evelyn is, quite clearly, a fan of Ms. Medici and her family (each of the Medici's nine rooms is named after a member of the clan). And we, quite frankly, are fans of Evelyn's pension. We loved this place! And its location, just two blocks from the Duomo, makes it a Florentine fave.
If charming, clean and spacious rooms, complete with Medici portraits, don't do it for you, try poking around the halls. They're crammed with enormous 17th-century paintings and 19th-century sculptures. If that still doesn't do it for you, then check into the Holiday Inn off the highway.
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