You’ve probably guessed by now that I love Italy – its food, wine, people, scenery and history. I also love its beautiful, distinctive hotels, which are some of the best in Europe at creating a sense of place.
These are some of the best hotels in Italy in my book. Many are in historic buildings and most have views that define their locations. I love them for their ability to combine comfort and great service with the spirit of the places they inhabit within Italy’s diverse landscape.
Hotel Londra Palace Venice
A couple of minutes stroll from Piazza San Marco, just past the end of the Grand Canal on bustling Riva degli Schiavoni, this grand old palazzo has my favourite location of anywhere in Venice. Sunset and sunrise are especially stunning with beautiful views over Saint Mark’s Basin to the Palladio-designed church of San Giorgio Maggiore.
Art Hotel Commercianti Bologna
In Bologna I love to stay right beside the imposing Basilica di San Petronio, in this building dating back to the 11th century. Some rooms on the top floor have balconies from which you can almost reach out and touch the red bricks of the church’s looming side wall. Bologna is famous for its food and the breakfast buffet here is exceptional.
Palazzo dalla Rosa Prati Parma
This 13th-century, sienna-coloured palazzo on cobbled Piazza Duomo is home to the Dalla Rosa Prati Marquises, whose private residence is on the first floor. Request a room overlooking the sparkling cream and pink Veronese marble of the rare 12th-century baptistery right outside the door.
Four Seasons Florence
I generally avoid five-star hotel chains when travelling. Florence is the exception, where I make like a Medici and stay in the luxuriously-restored 15th century Medici Palazzo della Gherardesca. Surrounded by 5-acres of private gardens, it’s just 15 minutes’ walk from the city centre and many suites have original Baroque frescoes and painted terracotta floors.
Grand Hotel Continental Siena
One of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever stayed in, this 17th century palazzo was a wedding gift from Pope Alexander VII to his niece Olimpia. Ask for a room on the piano noble (the ‘noble’ or best floor of an Italian home where guests were entertained) with a frescoed ceiling and mezzanine.
The Inn at The Spanish Steps Rome
The penthouse of this boutique hotel overlooks Piazza di Spagna, one of Rome’s most beautiful squares. Located on Via Condotti, Rome’s most fashionable shopping street, it’s walking distance to everything you’ll want to see and the perfect base for exploring The Eternal City.
Hotel Sant’Angelo Matera
A night in this cave hotel in the World Heritage-listed city of Matera is a bucket-list experience. Here ancient churches and houses, as well as modern restaurants and hotels, are all carved out of the soft tufa. Ask for a room with a view of the church and try the local cuisine in the hotel’s cave restaurant.
Updated 28 Nov 2024
