The Essentials
When visiting in Florence for any length of time it is necessary for many to know how to get the essentials such as laundry service, mail service where to find a doctor and the like. If you do not have friends that are from around that area then you are pretty much sunk. Fortunately I have done some research to make your stay in Florence just that much easier.
Laundry Service
For many budget travelers a washer and dryer will not be included in the small apartment that you are renting. This is understandable as the size of the apartment does not fit such luxuries as a washer and dryer. So then what are you supposed to do? Well there are several options. The first option is to find several of the coin operated Laundromats that still exist the city. You can find many of these shops under the name of OndaBlu which is the chain that runs them. However if you really want to save both time and money I would recommend you go down to the lavenderia which is a laundry service that will not only wash your clothes but also deliver them for you. The cheapest of the lavenderia are of course near the University (near the San Marco area) these shops only charge around 6 to 8 Euros for a full load of clothes. There is a very cheap and unmarked shop that offers the best deal around. For your dry cleaning needs you can find them at most lavenderia’s however you will spend a lot more money.
You can find the best deal on laundry here:
Via Alfani 44r
Tel: 055-247-9313
Mail Service
If you need to buy stamps you can do so at most tabacchi shops which as you can probably tell are shops that sell tobacco products. If you do not want to go into those shops I would
recommend stopping by the main post office which is off the southwest corner of the Piazza della Republica.
The address for the main post office is:
Via Pellicceria 3, 50103, Firenze
You can have mail delivered directly to the post office by having it sent to the following aaddress:
Insert Your Name Here
Fermo Posta Centrale
50103, Firenze, Italy
Which will deliver all mail to the central post office on the basis that they will hold it for you. You of course must show photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport in order to pick up your mail. A charge of 0.25 Euros will be charged for each piece so please keep this in mind and obviously the larger the package the more the post office will charge you to hold it. If however you own an AMEX or American Express card you can have your mail delivered for free at the local office. To do this simply address all packages to the following address:
Insert Your Name Here
Client Mail, American Express
Via Dante Alighferi 22r
50123 Firenze, Italia/Italy
So I guess if you have an AMEX card you really luck out here. If not however you do have a cost effective way of getting your mail.
Emergencies
For many emergencies it is best to call 115 now this number is for any or most medical
emergencies. If however you need to call the police or carabenieri at 112 they are the national police and generally are far more competent then some of the local branches. For automobile service emergencies then dial the ACI or Automobile Club of Italy at 116.
So there you have it some of the essentials when visiting Florence for any extended period of time. Actually many of these tips could help you out regardless of how long you are staying.
