Continentale

If Sophia Loren ever checked in here, her pouty red lips would have instantly broken into a Cheshire grin. It’s just the sort of place that would pamper a Hollywood starlet who is ordinarily jaded by 5 star treatment. For one thing, designer Michele Bonan took his cues from 50s-era Salvatore Ferragamo—Italy’s patron saint of shoes, who adorned Audrey Hepburn, Greta Garbo and more—and gave the interior “the aura of haute couture,” as he put it. (To that end, you’ll find clocks used as bedside tables and hand-hewn leather trunks for desks; upgrade to a Rooftop Terrace Suite to peep out on the river below and red terra cotta roofs beyond from your own cobalt blue daybeds). For another, the spa is among the most eye-popping in the city, thanks to Tuscan stone walls and reviving treatments like the Algae peel-off (exactly what it sounds like).

Inspired by 1950s Italia, with 43 rooms decked in gauzy white curtains and a rooftop bar overlooking the Arno river.

Colorful. Most upholstery, walls and finishes are white—transforming it into the ultimate dreamy hideaway.

The hotel offers a watercolor class taught by a member of the IGuarnieri famiglia that you’re sure will have you churning out pieces worthy of Florence’s famed Uffizi Gallery.

The sun is slinking behind the Tuscan hillsides beyond, turning the sky into a peach-pink color you’ve never seen before. That is, until, your waiter at the hotel’s La Terrazza Bar—which sits atop the medieval Consorti Tower—sets your cocktail before you. It’s the same delicious hue, and so invitingly delicious you down it in minutes. Next, you opt for a little something from the “Make Your Own Negroni” menu. When in Florence, as they say.

Borgo San Jacopo -Contemporary Italian cuisine Caffe Dell'oro - Coffee is like a portrait of Italy - Enjoy traditional dishes The fusion Bar & Restaurant - Unexpected pairings and zingy flavors of Fusion & Nikkei cuisine La Terrazza Rooftop Bar - Discover the city's mystique with a cool cocktail in your hand Picteau Lounge Bar - Sip on a classic cocktail in the company of Picasso, Cocteau and Ponte Vecchio