SINA Villa Medici

An absolute classic on the Florentine luxury-hotel scene, Sina Villa Medici, Autograph Collection benefits from its slightly out-of-the-way location, just to the west of the old city center — close enough to easily reach all the obligatory sights, but just removed enough from the high-season crush of tourist traffic to feel authentically tranquil. The exterior is pure 19th-century grandeur, while the interiors have been brought subtly up to date — as the Autograph Collection tag might suggest, it’s a modern, professional operation, with everything you expect from a 21st-century luxury hotel.

The rooms and suites are, for the most part, contemporary in style as well, with occasional eclectic reminders of earlier periods, especially in the suites — meanwhile the Royal Suite, in contrast, is almost 1,300 square feet of unadulterated Romantic splendor.

A rare outdoor pool anchors the villa’s wellness offerings, which also include a sauna and Turkish bath, resplendent in emerald-colored mosaic tile. Meanwhile Harry’s Bar The Garden does much more than its name suggests; like the original Harry’s Bar Firenze, it’s both a cocktail bar and a restaurant, and offers poolside dining and drinking as well as plentiful indoor lounge space.