Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
Florence’s most lavish hotel is housed in a magnificent Renaissance palazzo and set in 11 acres of mature gardens. Well-removed from the tourist hordes, it offers superb resort facilities and the sort of polished service you would expect from the Four Seasons brand. Florence’s Four Seasons has housed in Renaissance-era Palazzo della Gherardesca and La Villa, a 16th-century convent building across the garden. It is a luxury hotel in the grand style, a living museum of eye-popping works of art and original architectural details that greet you the moment you step through the front door into the lobby, and a loggia decorated with an original bas-relief frieze and stucco work. Four Seasons favorite Pierre-Yves Rochon (who designed the George V in Paris) did the interiors which do have a whiff of Old Paris about them, in the best possible way.
This is a resort in the true sense of the word and outstanding facilities include a huge pool area with a summer restaurant and bar, and the best hotel spa in Florence which uses Santa Maria Novella, Rephase, Arangara, and Black Pearl products. Black Pearl offers the ‘Luxe Perfection’ 24-carat gold face mask; it’s as expensive as you would imagine. Last but not least, there is on-site parking (for an extra charge), a rarity in Florence.
The prevailing style of the garden is 19th-century romantic, marked by hedge-lined lawns, curving paths, shady copses, wildflowers, fountains, statues, and an Ionic temple. Each year, hotel gardeners augment well-established azaleas, hydrangeas, roses, and maples with myriad seasonal plants. The property also contains La Villa, a former convent with a smaller, Italian-style garden where boxwood-edged lawns and paths create a graceful geometry, centered on an 18th-century folly with an arched opening framing a statue. The hotel’s Garden Suite overlooks this picturesque view. Guests step out into the busy city and return to the tranquility of the gardens— the best of both worlds. Nearby botanical places to visit include Boboli Gardens, which evolved over 400 years and served as inspiration for many royal gardens, including Versailles.
Rooms
The 116 individually decorated bedrooms lack nothing by ay of comforts and amenities. Mostly done out in a fairly restrained Empire style, expect antique furniture and pictures, silks, velvets and brocades, thick carpets, and huge, enveloping beds made up with fine white linens, feather duvets, and the softest of pillows. Splendid marble bathrooms are supplied with products from Florentine bespoke perfumer Lorenzo Villoresi. The sumptuous piano nobile suites feature original frescoes, antique wallpapers, and museum-quality antiques. The 37 rooms in La Villa (which has an independent street entrance) come with butler service and their own breakfast room and bar (a restaurant is planned) and may suit those who want a little more privacy or who are thinking of a longer stay. Designer Pierre Yves Rochon decorated each room individually with lavish period furnishings, rich brocades, and velvets, but you’ll see green and yellow palettes used in many of the spaces and a white marble bathroom in each. You’ll find even more luxurious touches in the specialty suites. In the Stephenson Suite, a white marble tub sits in the middle of the stuccoed bathroom, which also features carved silver armoires and a fireplace. The Volteranno Suite stands out for being draped in Chinese silk wallpaper.
Elvira’s tips:
* Choose from two buildings at the stunning Florence hotel: the Palazzo Della Gherardesca, a converted 15th-century palace, or the Conventino, a former 16th-century convent.
* The 37-room Conventino sits at the opposite end of the garden, so it affords more privacy and less foot traffic. It’s like a hotel-within-a-hotel, offering its own reception desk, concierge, breakfast room (La Magnolia is only for Conventino guests), butler service, business center, and presidential suite.
* None of the luxury hotel’s 116 rooms are the same; they have different dimensions and original features, such as frescoes, bas-reliefs, skylights, ceiling art, staircases, fireplaces, and friezes.
The Facilities
* Parking
* Restaurant
* Room service
* Bar
* Laundry
* Pool
* Sauna
* Spa
* Fitness
* centre Kids’ club
* Steam room/hammamuu
Food and drinks
Il Palagio
Chef Vito Mollica is at the helm of the opulent, Michelin-starred Il Palagio restaurant which has many Florentine fans. His menus make the most of fresh, seasonal, local produce while at the same time teasing with flavor combinations and modern techniques. A recent dinner included his signature ‘cavatelli cacio e pepe’ pasta with marinated prawns (a variation on the cheesy classic) and a rack of lamb with truffle mash and bitter spring greens.
Elvira’s tips:
* Try cacio e pepe, the Roman version of mac and cheese. Here it’s cavatelli served with marinated red prawns and baby squid. To see what the chef can really do, opt for the five-course tasting menu, which regularly swaps in dishes like a pine-nut-crusted veal filet with black cabbage and creamed celeriac.
Al Fresco restaurant
The more casual poolside Al Fresco restaurant serves pizza, pasta, grills, and sandwiches, while the inviting Atrium bar, a popular spot with affluent locals, serves afternoon tea and excellent cocktails. Breakfast (served in the garden in warm weather) is a feast that includes pancakes and maple syrup, a vast selection of fresh fruit, cakes and pastries, proper French croissants, and omelets; try the one with tofu, mushrooms, and grilled asparagus. And if the weather’s good, you can even order a picnic lunch in the garden.
Atrium Bar
For a more relaxed setting, head to the Atrium Bar. The handsome brown and gold bar in the back and the nightly live piano music make it a spot for a light dinner and drinks, like the 100 km Tiramisu Cocktail, a liquid version of the Italian coffee-flavored dessert whose ingredients are all found within 100 kilometers (or 62 miles) of the hotel.
