•  English
  •   Italiano
  •   Español
  •   Deutsch

DOOR AND KEYS
Always lock the door with the key, not only when you go out but also while you’re at home. Before removing the key, make sure you have turned it correctly; that is, until it stops. While you’re at home, remove the keys from the lock, so that the other tenants can enter freely.
If you have a double door, make sure that the latches on the side without the lock are closed tightly before locking with the key.

Do not try to force the key if you realize that it will not open.
Never leave the keys in the door.
Do not forget to take the keys when you leave the house; in the event your keys are lost or stolen, contact us immediately and we will replace the lock and give you new keys.

When the doorbell rings, do not open the door without first seeing who is at the door.
Do not open the door if you do not personally know the person who wants to come in.
Always close all the windows when you go out, even if you plan to be away for only a short time.

MAIL
When you move into your new apartment, ask the landlord for permission to put a sticker with your names on the external door bell. If that is not possible, ask what name is on the doorbell so you can let your friends know.

The easiest way to receive messages is to use your office address or the school’s address (when giving the address, always indicate the name of the street or the square, the street number, the postal code and the city).

If necessary, you may write your name on adhesive tape and apply it on the mailbox of the apartment, making sure not to cover the name of the landlord.

GARBAGE
Never leave the garbage bags in the doorway of either your apartment door or the building entrance door; never leave trash on the stairs of the condo; if you accidentally break a bag while taking it to one of the collection points, please clean up immediately.

In Florence, garbage collection practices vary but they always include collection of recyclable materials:

Paper, Glass / Cans / Plastic, Organic Waste, General Garbage

Depending on the area, garbage is collected in:

• outside dumpsters that are usually pedal operated, and labeled according to the type of waste
• underground dumpsters, pedal operated
• curbside collection (only in some streets of the old city)

We recommend that you take out your garbage daily; by doing so you will always have a tidy house and the bags will weigh less!

For further information visit: http://www.quadrifoglio.org

HOUSE CLEANING
Try to keep the house neat and clean; if you happen to need a weekly, by-weekly or monthly cleaning service, let us know and we will be happy to suggest solutions.

It is important to keep your kitchen and bathrooms very clean, to live well and to avoid causing damages during your stay.
Ventilate the house at least once a day, even in the winter. This allows healthy air replacement and good preservation of the interior walls, but always remember to close the windows when you leave!

KITCHEN
In Italy kitchens are not equipped with a garbage disposal in the sink, so it is very important that you do not throw food down the drain, otherwise it becomes clogged and the only way to solve the problem is to call a plumber (surcharge).

Cooking surfaces should be cleaned frequently with sponges and non-abrasive detergents; often stove tops are made of steel and they may scratch if they are not cleaned properly; this also applies to pots and pans.

Do not forget pots on the stove; make sure that everything is turned off before you leave your apartment!

Dishwasher
Use only dishwasher detergent; respect the dishwasher’s carrying capacity and do not use the dishwasher to wash pans or trays that are too large and could block the blades during the washing cycle.

Oven
Make sure that the oven is turned off when you are not using it and try to clean it inside at least once a week.

BATHROOM
After taking a shower, it is important that you clean the drain of any hair, otherwise the drain will get clogged and make it difficult for the water to flow down.

Open windows frequently to ventilate the rooms and avoid condensation on the walls.
Do not throw sanitary napkins or objects other than toilet paper in the toilets.
Use the dustbin to dispose of cotton buds, condoms, and face or body wipes!

Washing Machine
A 40/60 degrees wash cycle is usually sufficient for regular load of laundry; for synthetic fabrics or lightly soiled items set the machine at 30/40 degrees; for heavily soiled cottons set at 60 degrees.

Never mix white fabrics with colored items; black items should be washed separately.
Each washing machine has different characteristics; you will find the instructions in the house. When in doubt, always ask the landlord!

BEDROOMS
Make yourself at home!
Use the closets and supplies as if they were yours, as you would in your own home.
Please do not jump on the beds; the wooden slats will break if the bed is not used as intended.

BOILER
Apartments have different types of boilers that come with different instructions; we will preset the boiler correctly, so as to ensure a warm home and the right water temperature.

AIR CONDITIONING AND FANS
Not all homes are equipped with air conditioning, but in the warmer months we provide all the apartments with fans or other appliances that will help cool the environment. In the summer, a great way to keep the heat at bay is to close your shutters when you go out and open the windows with the shutters closed while you are in the apartment.

MOSQUITOES
During the hot months and in the spring the presence of mosquitoes can be really annoying; we equip each home with anti-mosquito burners and we recommend that you replace the refills when they are empty to ensure that you will not be bothered by mosquitoes while you are at home.

UTILITIES
In Italy, each utility has a different supplier and, for each utility, every apartment has a separate meter that displays the usage.

Every home has an electrical circuit breaker and in cases of blackouts just flip the switch on the meter (see photo)

ELECTRICITY
Each home has a maximum limit of electricity usage; in case of the simultaneous use of multiple devices exceeds usage limits, the overload may cause a power outage. If this happens, you should disconnect or turn off some of the appliances and avoid using them all at the same time.
Please keep in mind that, in Italy, electricity is much more expensive than in other countries.

Before using your electrical appliances, remember to check if yours devices can run on 220 volts; if not, you will need converters.

If you use more than one heat-generating device at the same time (such as irons, ovens, washing machines, hair dryers, etc.), the circuit breaker could pop and it will have to be reactivated.

There are two ways to do this:

1) Turn off all appliances, go to the “main power panel” located inside your apartment and set all the switches to the ON position.
2) If there is no “power panel,” the electricity will have to be switched on from the “electricity meter” which may be found either inside the apartment or just inside the main entrance to your building. To reactivate the circuit, set all the switches to the ON (up) position.

If you want to read your electric meter just click the white button to the right of the display panel until you see “A1 Lettura = 0002100″ (2100 is an example).
If you have an old black meter in your apartment, the black numbers will give you the current reading. If there is a power outage, press the black button to reset the circuit.

GAS & HEATING

Remember to turn off the gas line when it is not in use. You can do this by operating the on / off (Aperto / Chiuso) switch that is usually located near the stove or under the kitchen sink.

Do not touch the thermostat; if you want to change the temperature setting, please contact either us or the landlord.

During the day the temperature should not exceed 18-20 ° C (64-68 ° F)

By law, in Italy the heating may be turned on from November 1 until April 15 for no more than 8-10 hours a day.

Do not sleep in the room where the boiler is located. If you smell gas, do not turn on the lights, but open the windows and turn the gas off from the main switch.

The water pressure in the boiler must be maintained between 1.00-1.5 bar. If the pressure falls below these limits, the system will automatically cease to function.

WATER & PLUMBING
In Florence you may drink the tap water because it has no impurities and is safe to drink.
If an electric boiler is used in your apartment, the amount of hot water may be limited and, when it runs out, you may need to wait for the system to heat more water.

If instead you have a gas hot water heater, you will have more autonomy, but it is always good not to let water run if you do not need it!

INTERNET
All our apartments include internet and Wi-Fi, and inside the apartment you will find information containing the network’s user ID and password. Remember that you are not permitted to change the password or download copyrighted materials.
If you have a router, never reset it, otherwise the Internet will stop working and you will have to pay a technician to fix the problem!
You can always contact us for any questions.

FIREPROOF BLANKET
In each of our homes there is a fireproof blanket, although we hope that you will never need to use it; but in case of flames in the kitchen or anywhere in the house, the blanket can come in handy to immediately put out any fires. Therefore, please do not use it for other purposes, and do not tamper with it for any reason.

Useful numbers and reference sites

Carabinieri 112
Police 113 (Police Headquarters), Via Zara 2 055 4977
Fire department 115
Ambulance 118
Medical Emergency 118
Doctor on call 055 6938980
Municipal Pharmacy Santa Maria Novella is open 24/7 inside the Railway Station 055 289435
Hospital Piazza S. Maria Nuova 055-27581

BUS
You can buy a bus ticket at any tobacconist (indicated by a sign with a large “T” on a black background, placed on the outside of the store) that has an orange sticker “ATAF” on the door or window.
All tickets must be time-stamped using the machines on board the bus. Late at night (9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.) tickets can also be purchased from the bus driver.
For more information on schedules and bus routes, visit www.ataf.net

TRANSPORTATION AND TAXIS
Florence is served by taxi companies
“CO.TA.FI.”
“Socota” (the largest)

It is not easy to hail a taxi in the middle of the street, and it is definitely more convenient to book a taxi over the phone by calling one of the following numbers:

CO.TA.FI.: (+39) 055 4499/055 4390
Socota: (+39) 055 4242/055 4798

TOURIST INFORMATION
The Tourist Information Center is located in Piazza Stazione, 4 Tel: ( 39) 055 212245

BYCICLE RENTAL

“Florence By Bike”, Via San Zenobius 120/122r – Florence
Phone: +39 055 488992 Fax: +39 055 488992
Email: info@florencebybike.it

“Olim Risciò”, Via del Leone 35 – Florence
Phone: +39 328 5910979 Fax: +39 055 6235214
Email: info@olimfirenze.com