Ad Astra

The proprietors of Florence’s SoprArno Suites, not content to own and operate just one practically perfect boutique hotel, have got a second: Ad Astra, a stylish bed and breakfast in the Oltrarno district, south of the river, overlooking the splendid Torrigiani Garden. In this less dense corner of Florence there’s space not just for massive gardens but for a “hôtel particulier” as well — a freestanding residence originally meant for aristocratic weekenders, comprising just nine rooms, each one unique and all of them decorated with the same playful, eclectic eye that’s responsible for SoprArno.

This means modernist Italian design classics from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies, as well as classic Florentine craftsmanship and a taste for eye-catching contemporary art. Though it’s no five-star, Ad Astra comes with its share of comforts: in-room coffee machines and freestanding roll-top bathtubs make this more than a pied à terre. Breakfast and aperitifs, either in the salon or on the terrace, are more or less the extent of the offerings, but your hosts are happy to help you make the most of your time in Florence — there’s plenty to do this side of the river, and you’re only ten minutes’ walk from Ponte Vecchio, if it’s time to dive in to the crush of tourists. And then back to the quiet Oltrarno for some pleasant dreaming — “to the stars” indeed.