Florence has the ability to make the most ordinary moments feel extraordinary.
A morning coffee on the banks of the Arno, a lazy lunch of Tuscan specialties, an evening stroll through Renaissance streets. Each one is something to take home. So why not enhance the experience by booking yourself into the best 5-star hotels Florence has to offer that transform a perfect holiday into an unforgettable one? One where you can have the run of the city during the day but return to a haven of relaxation, exceptional service, and beautiful surroundings.
Discover Florence on Foot
It is one of the great pleasures of staying in the centre of Florence: the opportunity to get out and about without recourse to a map or any form of transport. This, after all, is a city that rewards the wanderer. Those staying at a smart hotel near the River Arno will be able to take a leisurely saunter in the direction of the Ponte Vecchio, admire the Duomo and take a turn around the boutiques of Via de’ Tornabuoni before continuing on through dramatic and widely calorific cream teas.
This is when the charm of a luxury hotel can start to feel appealing. At Portrait Firenze, rooms offer views over the iconic Ponte Vecchio, bringing one of Florence’s most famous landmarks directly into your stay. The heaviest-hitting of the central sightseeing spots are a gentle walk away. The 37 rooms and suites come with an easy-to-adopt modern residential style, and are finished with lots of textile texture and plenty of atmosphere.
After several hours spent wandering around a beautiful city, stepping back into a thoughtfully decorated space that hovers effortlessly over the river would make you feel like a grown-up returning home, rather than a returning guest.
Italian Hospitality with a Personal Touch
Luxury in Italy is less often about pomp and circumstance and more about thoughtfulness, about knowing, as a great host does, what sort of experience a guest will enjoy and making room beyond the fold to let everyone write their own script for the day.
Portrait Firenze utilizes that aesthetic to great effect with its small space and personalized service. In this way, the ethos of the hotel experience is centered on creating an experience that is more akin to spending time at home, albeit with all the amenities and finer details that it represents.
This kind of comfort is paramount in a city like Florence. After all, it’s rare that the moments that stay with us when we’re marking pins on a well-worn map are those where we’re running between sights. Instead, the slow drip of experiences and the ambience of the spaces between them create the lasting memories that mean the most.
Food, Wine and the Pleasure of Lingering
Food is at the heart of a Florentine sojourn. A languorous sampling can be part and parcel of a luxury stay, moving from an unhurried breakfast to sun-drenched aperitivi, and a romantic repast in the evening.
Caffè dell’Oro, seated right across from Ponte Vecchio at the Portrait Firenze, sources gastronomic ideas like Italian tradition from abroad in a casual atmosphere. Just around the corner from Portrait Firenze, the Lungarno Collection’s five-star Hotel Lungarno is home to the Michelin-starred Borgo San Jacopo, where Italian ingredients and traditional flavors are interpreted through a modern lens. It’s an ideal theatrical stop, serving up a twofer of dining experiences in central Florence: one laid-back by the river, the other all white linens and Michelin stars.
Both are the kind of moveable feast that practically makes food part of a place, one more thing to savor as you explore the city.
Luxury That Lets Florence Take Center Stage
The best of the luxury hotels understand that somewhere to lay your head is only part of the story. They make a connection between you and their place that feels organic and natural everywhere.
Portrait Firenze gets it. Sit on the Arno, along from Ponte Vecchio, feel-like-a-Florentine atmosphere, one-of-a-kind service. Here is a hotel where it makes sense to settle in and slow down amid the wonders of Florence.
Bring your curiosity, your appetite, and plenty of time to roam one of Italy’s most enchanting cities. The right hotel will make it an experience to savor all the way home.
