Il Salviatino

Set on a hillside in Fiesole, fifteen minutes’ drive from Florence’s city center, Il Salviatino places you quite literally above it all. It’s a lofty perch in the metaphorical sense as well — a 15th-century villa that’s now one of Tuscany’s finest small luxury hotels. In classic Italian style they’ve preserved the great majority of this Renaissance beauty’s original features even as they’ve brought the comforts up to date, and it’d take a microscopic investigation to determine what’s historically correct and what’s a lovingly rendered, spare-no-expense reproduction.

In the end what matters is atmosphere, and in that regard, Il Salviatino is truly old-world, even as the rooms and suites introduce a touch of contemporary design and some very welcome modern amenities. (If they’d had Nespresso machines during the Renaissance you can bet they would have used them.) The rooms with views of the gardens are impressive enough, but if you can swing a Duomo-facing room, or a suite, you won’t regret it — not just for the vistas but for the truly extravagant levels of plushness to which Il Salviatino quickly ascends.

Then again, those famous views are positively strewn about the rest of the property, with the restaurant’s terrace providing one of the most memorable ones. Giacomo al Salviatino serves high-end Tuscan cuisine, accompanied by some extraordinary wines, living up to the region’s well-deserved reputation. And thanks to a wealth of indoor and outdoor spaces for lounging, as well as an extraordinary standard of service and a first-rate spa, you’ll practically have to tear yourself away to venture into Florence proper.


How to get there:
Il Salviatino is approximately 15 minutes from Santa Maria Novella Train Station, 30 minutes from Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport, and an hour and half away from Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport.