Florence is not easy to park the car without permission. The circulation and parking of cars are prohibited to non-residents in the area included within the nineteenth-century boulevards (and protected as 'World Heritage UNESCO') on weekdays from Monday to Friday (7.30 am / 7.30 pm) and Saturday (7, 30am / 6,00 pm). But even outside the pentagon of boulevards, for much of the parking spaces are unmanned space charge (blue lines) on weekdays (8am-8pm). In these spaces, increasing tariffs are applied with the continued stay in order to ensure the rotation of vehicles.
Payment must be made through parking meter, or 'scratch and park'. Evidence of payment must be displayed prominently in the vehicle. At the same time the parking spaces with white stripes are the free parking spaces reserved for residents only. In practice, you can park for free just on the edge of the urban area. So if you decide to come to Florence by car you should consider a daily spend of about € 20,00 / 25,00 for parking your car. Alternatively you can reach Florence by train and rent a car the day you need it. As for the apartment, better if you to rent in the center.
The city is small. Living in the center allows you to move on foot to reach almost all destinations. Otherwise you have to use public transport to reach the center (or park your car in parking spaces for a fee).
