La Divine Comédie

As famous travel experiences go, Dante and Virgil’s journey into hell and back is perhaps not the sort of itinerary you want to follow too closely. La Divine Comédie, you’ll be glad to know, takes the bulk of its inspiration from the Paradiso section of the poem — this hôtel particulier boasts the largest private garden in Avignon, which makes it an island of verdant tranquility despite its location in the heart of the medieval city center.

It’s a small hotel, comprised of just five suites, which is a perfectly heavenly scale if you like personal service, splendidly uncrowded public spaces, and a convivial country-house atmosphere. The suites are luxurious, eclectic, historically informed — how could they not be, in this beautifully preserved old house — but put together with a contemporary eye and a palette of rich, deep colors. They’re all different, but they’re all extraordinary.

The house’s salons are packed with artworks, including hundreds of historical images of Avignon that were once in the collection of the Papal Palace. Meanwhile the orangery is a dining room that can be reserved for parties of up to ten, and the gardens, with their jacuzzi and swimming pool, are perfect for less formal occasions. And tucked away in the garden’s folly is a tiny spa — just about the last thing you’d expect from a five-suite hôtel particulier.