A Home Away from Home in Florence – Diane’s Fractional Ownership Story

Long before she had a home in Florence, Diane felt a connection to the city that went beyond an ordinary vacation. She remembers returning to Florence years ago and feeling an immediate sense of belonging.

“I felt like my soul was here,” she recalls. “This just feels like a place I need to be.”

Today, that feeling has become a reality. Through fractional ownership at Italy Perfect’s two-bedroom, two-bathroom Maestro, Diane has a home base in the city she loves, a place she can return to throughout the year and experience Florence not simply as a visitor, but increasingly as a local.

Diane enjoying the Bardini Gardens near the Maestro.

From Atlanta to Discovering Fractional Ownership in Florence

Based in Atlanta, where she has lived for most of her life and raised her family, Diane is preparing to retire from a career in the financial world. Travel has long been one of her passions, and retirement will give her even more freedom to spend time abroad, particularly in Florence.

Diane discovered Maestro almost by chance. She was having lunch with a friend when they saw a blog post from Ann Huff of Huff Harrington Design about an apartment she had recently worked on in Florence. The apartment was Maestro. Intrigued, they began looking into it.

Beautiful design details make Maestro feel like home.

Diane already knew Ann Huff and her business partner Meg Harrington, and she had previously traveled to Europe with Ann and stayed with our sister company Paris Perfect. That experience gave her confidence in the attention to detail she could expect.

“I knew the quality of what Paris Perfect offered and assumed the Florence apartment would be exactly the same,” she says.

At the time, she knew little about fractional ownership. But the more she learned, the more the concept made sense. Ultimately, Diane purchased a share, and two friends from Atlanta did as well. They sometimes arrange their stays back-to-back so they can overlap for part of their time in Florence.

Bedroom 1 at Maestro has an elegant Hermès framed scarf and balcony.

Why Fractional Ownership Works

For Diane, it’s difficult to name just one advantage of fractional ownership. But one of the most meaningful is the comfort that comes from returning to a place that truly feels like home.

“I know the layout. I know what’s here in the apartment and the neighborhood. I know the location. It’s just so comfortable. It’s literally like just walking into your second home.”

That familiarity is very different from arriving at a new rental on every trip. At Maestro, Diane knows exactly what is waiting for her, from the beautifully furnished interiors to the smallest details that make everyday living comfortable.

Enjoy dining indoors and out on the terrace at Maestro.

She laughs about making breakfast one morning and realizing just how well-equipped the apartment is: multiple kinds of coffee cups, different glasses and all the little things you naturally expect to find in your own home.

“Everything is so well appointed here. It makes it just so easy.”

Fractional ownership also gives her the benefits of having a home in Italy without having to manage the practical complications of owning and maintaining an apartment abroad on her own.

“I don’t even begin to know how you would purchase an apartment here, how you would call a plumber, how you would really do anything,” she says. “Italy Perfect is what makes it perfect, honestly.”

Why Florence?

For Diane, the decision to buy in Florence was deeply personal. She had visited twice more than 20 years ago and returned about 15 years ago with friends. That later visit stayed with her.

She had considered buying a second home in the United States, but nothing ever quite worked out. Looking back, she believes there was a reason.

“This was meant to be,” she says of Maestro. “It’s just been magical.”

Part of the magic is everyday life in Florence. Diane loves walking, and having Maestro as a home base allows her to start the morning with a stroll along the river or through Florence’s gardens. She also has an annual Uffizi museum membership that gives her access to several of the city’s cultural attractions and gardens. Over time, those routines have transformed Florence from a destination into a neighborhood.

“I have my favorite nail salon and hair salon. I know a lot of the waiters in the restaurants around here, and it just feels like home.”

Imagine the Boboli Gardens right in your neighborhood!

Living More Like a Local

That sense of belonging may be one of the biggest ways fractional ownership has changed Diane’s relationship with Florence. Returning regularly allows her to establish routines, revisit favorite places and build relationships. She’s also developed friendships through friends of friends who spend time in Florence, giving her a community to return to as well as a home.

“Everybody here is just so friendly and so genuine,” she says. “They’re just so welcoming.”

One story captures that feeling perfectly. During one stay, Diane found herself needing transportation during a taxi strike. She stopped by a nearby shoe store, where she had gotten to know one of the employees. When she explained the problem, he immediately offered to call a friend who was a taxi driver and arrange a ride for her.

It was a small act of kindness, but exactly the sort of experience that comes from spending enough time somewhere to become part of the neighborhood.

The city is also comfortable to enjoy on her own. On her current visit, Diane spent the first week alone before her family arrived. Dining alone doesn’t feel unusual, and the friendliness of the people around her often turns an ordinary evening into a social one.

“Frequently, there’s a couple at the table next to you that invites you to share an appetizer or a bottle of wine,” she says.

A Starting Point for Exploring Italy

Having a home in Florence has also changed the way Diane travels. Rather than treating Florence as the entirety of the trip, she uses Maestro as a comfortable home base for exploring Italy. She regularly takes day trips and occasionally spends a night away, knowing she can leave her luggage at the apartment and travel with little more than a backpack.

On her recent visit, she ventured into Chianti and spent a night in Cortona. She also sometimes adds a few days in Rome to the end of a stay before flying home and plans to do something similar with Milan on an upcoming trip.

Italy’s train system makes this especially easy. “It’s so easy to navigate once you figure it out,” she says. She particularly enjoys taking the high-speed trains when available, although she’s equally happy using the regional trains.

Easily explore the Tuscan countryside from Florence.

The Surprise: Flexibility

Before buying, one of Diane’s uncertainties was how the scheduling would work. Maestro owners select their stays through a draft system, and she wondered what would happen if she didn’t get the dates she wanted. Her experience has been reassuringly simple.

The flexibility to trade dates with other owners has been one of the things she appreciates most. When a scheduled period hasn’t worked, she’s been able to arrange a trade with another owner. That flexibility also lets her experience Florence at different times of year rather than returning during the same fixed period annually.

The relationships among the owners have been another pleasant surprise. Diane, who serves as board president, says their quarterly meetings often evolve into conversations about favorite restaurants, recent discoveries and what everyone has been doing in Florence.

“Everybody’s so genuinely helpful,” she says. “I think all the owners feel the same. It’s just a special place.”

Would She Recommend Fractional Ownership?

For someone considering a fractional share in Florence, Diane’s experience can be summed up quite simply:

“It is so easy.”

But perhaps the real benefit is less tangible. Fractional ownership has given Diane something beyond a beautiful place to stay. It has allowed her to return often enough to develop routines, friendships and favorite places, while still giving her the freedom to travel throughout Italy and beyond.

For someone who once visited Florence and thought, my soul is here, Maestro has provided a way to turn that feeling into something much closer to home.

Make Florence Your Home Away from Home

Discover how Maestro makes it easy to enjoy the pleasures of having a home in Florence, with all the comforts of a beautifully appointed apartment ready to welcome you back. Learn more about fractional ownership at Maestro.

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