Ville sull'Arno

Thoroughly renovated the Ville sull’Arno may be, but anyone expecting a pure, strong dose of contemporary design has grasped the wrong end of the stick. This place is dedicated to fantasy, and period fantasy at that: here it’s all about the 19th century, the Romantic era, the days of the Grand Tour. The only question is how intense you want the experience to be.

The Il Vilino Spa rooms are a bit of a compromise, in this regard. With their 50-50 blend of sponge-painted patina and clean modern furniture, they’re comfortable mixing old and new, in the manner that’s so typically Italian. Meanwhile the rooms in Il Loggiato are a bit more eclectic, incorporating influences from a variety of eras, like an old artist’s studio that’s periodically been freshened by the occasional 20th-century modernist element. It’s only in La Villa that it’s straight back to the 1800s — aside from a few modern electronic necessities, everything’s more or less just as it would have been when the Romantics were flocking to the Arno’s shores.

In this case, we mean directly on the Arno’s shores, as indeed you may have gathered from the hotel’s name. With its walled garden, its pool, its spa, the Ville sull’Arno offers a remarkably tranquil experience — made more remarkable by the fact that it’s located within walking distance of the Ponte Vecchio and the Florence city center.