Home to a number of palazzi – grand palaces chiefly constructed between the late 14th and early 16th centuries – staying in Florence can be incredibly chic. These are the best palazzo hotels in Florence.
Walking around the dizzyingly beautiful city, the palazzo is easily identifiable thanks to its distinctive features – rusticated stone and decorative cornicing on the exterior, magnificent frescoes and gilded ceilings inside.
Some have remained in their historic state, while others have been converted into hotels. And what a setting they make. If you’re seeking palatial lodgings, a palazzo is the way to go.
It’s a good time to know about them, too; the city may beckon in the summer months, but winter through spring is when the Tuscan capital comes alive. The humming throng of tourists thins, the temperatures lower, and indulgent produce – truffles, porcini mushrooms, the olio nuovo (new olive oil harvest) – tempt.
This Time Tomorrow
When co-founders Pierre Ferland and Thomas Odenthal found the 19th-century palazzo that houses This Time Tomorrow Florence, it was in a sorry state. The astonishing Venetian-style terrazzo floors were covered with corporate carpeting, and the fresco-style ceilings were coated in years of staining. It’s near impossible to believe now, so scrupulous and artful was the restoration that has seen it become one of the city’s most sought-after new stays.
The Neoclassical residence now contains eight staggeringly spacious apartments run in the spirit of a boutique hotel. Velvet upholstered sofas, 18th-century tapestries and crystal chandeliers amp up the Renaissance bling factor, while minimalist beds and sexy marbled bathrooms instil an Aman-like balance. The art is standout, from Old Masters to a rare Dali lithograph hanging nonchalantly in the second bedroom of apartment 1AM. All rooms have deep baths and the smaller options make clever use of space to maintain the airy ambience of the larger suites. Most have terraces too.
The attention to detail is another highlight. A hamper of carefully chosen local produce awaits on arrival, and instead of a disappointing breakfast buffet, there are tokens that can be traded for coffee and pastries at two nearby cafes that buzz with locals. The location in the residential Le Cure neighbourhood adds to the authentic experience, making things refreshingly tourist-free while landing you a 20-minute walk away from the Duomo et al.
The particularly competent management team email guests before they arrive to get a sense of what kind of trip this will be – Epicurean indulgence, gallery and museum hopping, holing up in your Neoclassical retreat – and create a suggested itinerary to suit. Access to one-off experiences like a private tour of the Ferragamo museum and the opulent family apartment upstairs make this a unique option even in the heady world of palazzo stays.
Il Salviatino
Il Salviatino was transformed into a Renaissance villa in the 15th-century when the noble family it’s named after needed to retreat from the city’s swelter to the surrounding hills. It retains this grandeur today, as well as a certain rambling charm that sets it apart from flashy five-stars.
Huge flagstone floors with bohemian carpets, the biggest diffusers you’ve ever seen lacing the air with amber, towering plants and tangles of thriving orchids: Il Salviatino is fluent in sensory overload. There are 39 rooms and suites that tickle luxury lovers with Diptyque products and exacting housekeeping – all without losing the sense that you’re staying in the home of a prominent Florentine family.
This reaches its physical and figurative apex in the hotel’s crowning glory, the penthouse suite, with its own greenhouse-style sitting room, two bathrooms and, up a winding stone staircase, a terrace with commanding views of Florence. Speaking of the city, a frequent shuttle whisks guests in and out throughout the day and evening.
Sitting out on the hotel’s terrace is a delight, but even more tempting (and reason enough to visit in autumn/winter) is Da Giacomo restaurant’s Sala Alfresco indoor space. Here, red prawns are shipped from Sicily and, if a fight breaks out over the last bite of tartare, the omniscient GM might just send a fresh one on ice. The red mullet risotto is also improbably good, all the better washed down with a glass of sparkling Sangiovese made in nearby Fiesole, or crisp Chardonnay from the Il Borro estate in San Giustino Valdarno.
Then there’s the spa, which is enough to stop even the most-seasoned wellness seeker in their tracks. Housed in one of the hotel’s greenhouse spaces, its focal point is a treatment room filled with crystals and dried herbs burnt mid-massage to purify. But it’s not too woo woo – the product is Augustinus Bader and Santa Maria Novella, an apt summary of this hotel’s talent for combining international prestige with local heritage. Downstairs there’s a fully marbled subterranean space that can be booked exclusively for the surreal luxury of a private spa experience.
St. Regis Florence
For rich history and unashamed old-world glamour, head to St. Regis Florence. It’s housed in Palazzo Giuntini, originally designed by Filippo Brunelleschi (who also happened to engineer the Duomo) in the 15th century, and rebuilt in the 19th century. Count Negroni is said to have been a regular at what is now the hotel’s Winter Garden Bar, so it’s little wonder they serve the best version of the cocktail named after him you’re likely to find in the city – perhaps the world.
It’s worth seeking out the hotel’s achingly chic GM, Domenico Colella, who offers exceptional recommendations, especially if you’re interested in the intriguing Renaissance crafts that have been kept alive just across the Arno River. He’s also the man who will bag you a corner table at Cosimo rooftop restaurant and bar, at the top of the highest modern building in the city with the sunset views only such lofty heights afford. Up here, you can see the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and any other Florence sight you can think of at once. You can also feast on refined Tuscan classics like Panzanella salad and the most comforting truffle rigatoni. Back at the St. Regis, Café Ginori serves international classics, addictive pastries and artfully blended tea all day – all on chic Ginori ceramics.
Some rooms are on the smaller side, but sufficiently plush to make them punch above their size. The best are designed in a Medici mood, with heavy drapes, gilded framed oil paintings of the Ponte Vecchio and beds that are damn near impossible to leave. A careful and tasteful eye has been cast over the product offering too, with Sachajuan shampoo and conditioner, REN cleanser and Marvis toothpaste. All in all, it feels like a spoiling stay in a perfect location between the historic centre and the hip Oltrarno neighbourhood.
Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Resorts Collection
Auberge Resorts’ Florentine outpost is located – unexpectedly – in a former boarding school, yet it deserves a place in this list because it has been renovated in the opulent style of a palazzo. With 83 rooms set across four floors, it’s a sizeable property, but its palatial atmosphere feels welcoming rather than overwhelming.
The interiors are astonishing (it’s little wonder influencers are having a field day over them) with a former courtyard transformed into the plant-filled Conservatoire providing a focal point of the extensive public spaces. The art, chosen from the owners’ collection, is impressive. Rooms are beautifully appointed and spacious, with views over Florence in the most covetable suites. Muted, tonal interiors give it a quiet luxury feel – think Brunello Cucinelli does modern Tuscan hospitality – while touches like an in-room steamer give a sense that someone has thought carefully about what well-groomed guests might need during a stay here.
The pool is the hotel’s very best feature, surrounded by chic russet-toned parasols and huge day beds for lounging on. The neighbouring restaurant is poolside perfection, serving up Neapolitan-style pizzas fresh from a gently smoking al fresco oven.
Elsewhere, a bar set in a former headmaster’s study nods to the building’s academic history, with portraits of former pupils lining the walls. Exacting mixologists deliver inventive twists on classics but also ace a Negroni or Martini. Steak Fiorentina and ragu are the orders of the day at the restaurant, which does seem to cater to an international crowd (think America takes Tuscany) but does so brilliantly. It’s not difficult to see why this is the city’s most buzzed-about recent opening.
Lead image: Il Salviatino
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