Florence and the Lungarno Suites, 26-28 March 2009

After B&Bs, country castellos, and faded palazzos, we reached our pinnacle of swanky living in Florence, right on the Arno, in a serviced apartment called Lungarno Suites which is part of a hotel chain owned by the Savatore Ferragamo company. It is the sister property of the even swankier Hotel Lungarno across the river, but it was more than fine with its designer trimmings and convenient location next to the Ponte Vecchio, walking distance to everything.

A word about accommodation costs in Italy - at nothing decent outside the Euro 120-165 range, there's only spare change left for shopping in ... outlets and H&M. Forget anything on Via Tournabourni !