My address book of Italy stays

Florence, Rome, Venice, Sicily and alllll my Tuscany recs

I have shared plenty of food guides (here’s my ode to the Tuscan trattoria and on my my blog you can find other favourite Florence food lists) but I also often get asked about where to stay when visiting some of our favourite Italian cities. So here are some places we love:

FLORENCE:

Hotel Palazzo Guadagni, a charming, old school, family run hotel right in Piazza Santo Spirito (if you’ve read Still Life by my friend Sarah Winman, which I consulted for, you can imagine yourself here in the book)!

Soprarno Suites, a boutique hotel with personality in the Oltrarno by my talented friends calligrapher Betty Soldi and Matteo Perduca — they also have Oltrarno Splendid and Adastra, which overlooks Giardino Torrigiani.

Settignano Tuscany Homes (above, a photo by my friend Saghar Setareh) If you want to get a little out of the centre of Florence and in the hills of Settignano, but still close enough that you can pop in easily on the bus, this is a heavenly spot lovingly looked after by Claudia and her daughter Maria, just 5 minutes walk from where we used to live. There is a pool too — you won’t get that easily in the centre of Florence and is a must to get through sweltering summers! Their website is under construction but you can also contact Maria by email, maria@settignanoprojects.com

Valdirose, technically they are a 20 minute train ride from Florence but this place is so gorgeous I put it in here as it’s a nice way to have the best of both worlds: a base to get into Florence but also to escape from it. Irene and Paolo, who run it, are also the sweetest, most adorable people.

ROME:

Beehive Rome, this is an affordable, easy place to stay in Rome by our friends Linda and Steve, who also happen to make the best bagels ever!

The Hoxton Rome, in a residential neighbourhood north-east of Villa Borghese, has a cute restaurant serving modern Roman food and great cocktails and is just far enough of out the centre to get away from crowds (but not too far that you can’t easily walk to interesting sites like the MACRO though, if you really wanted to, the Trevi fountain really is only a 35 minute stroll).

VENICE:

Combo, a stylish new brand of hostels that have popped up all over Italy, including Torino and Bologna, this is not only a cheap place to stay but the bar and cloister is a great place to rest in Venice when you need to get away from the crowds.

Casa Burano, my favourite place to stay in Venice is on the island of Burano, above. You get to float across the lagoon on the vaporetto. It takes 40 minutes but the way time slows down on the lagoon is part of the magic of getting out to the islands. Plus if you’ve ever seen pictures of colourful Burano and wondered what it must be like to live in one of those little fishermen houses, this is your chance.

My friend Riccardo, a talented videographer, rents out his family’s home on airbnb. It’s absolutely delightful (his father is a painter at the Accademia) and is in the perfect central position in Campo Sant’Angelo — close to everything but incredibly quiet, near a vaporetto stop. 

SICILY:

Anna Tasca Lanza, I mean this is just paradise for me. Join one of their longer workshops (my workshop with them in September is fully booked but May 2024 is about to open!) or signature stays to learn how to cook Sicilian specialties (like their traditional sun dried tomato paste), stay in their rustic farm apartments and enjoy the divine pool.

Butera 28, in Palazzo Lanza Tomasi, an 18th century palazzo, is a charming place to stay in Palermo, hosted by the even more charming Duchess, Nicoletta who also teaches cooking classes in her divine kitchen. I very much appreciate the little kitchens here because if you pop into the market (which you must do with Linda Sarris aka The Cheeky Chef if you want to get the most out of it), you will be so tempted to buy something to cook — and you can! Here’s more on a 24 hour in Palermo stint with Linda and a peek at the Duchess’ kitchen!

Adler Spa Resort Sicilia is in Argigento province in the southern part of the island, by a national park. It it lush and private, a beautiful base from where you can go on interesting walks (they have a free guide to take you) and adventures and whether it’s the housemade brioche with gelato or guided yoga on the beach or the infinity pools and massages, everything about this place means you will be utterly pampered here.

TUSCANY — I realise this is a rather broad category so stay with me here, I’ll try to break it down into sections so if you’re looking for a countryside stay, a hot spring or the beach here are my very personal favourites:

Beachside (or close to):

Il Bottaccio, an olive oil farm about 10 minutes away from our favourite beach area in Tuscany and minutes from the hot springs (a delight in the evenings) of Venturina, they have cute apartments complete with kitchens, a lovely garden and pool area too. You do need a car to make the most of the area.

Il Baciarino, a very special and unusual place of six, handmade, rustic homes on a hillside in the tiny ancient village of Vetulonia, Maremma, about 20 minutes inland from Castiglione della Pescaia. Beautiful views, cute donkeys, hot tubs, and Andrea preparing the freshest, most wonderful seafood meals. Can’t ask for more really. I shot my cookbook Acquacotta here.

Countryside:

Locanda del Loggiato in Bagno Vignoni is our favourite getaway for a weekend of hot springs in the middle of the Tuscan countryside. It’s close to Pienza and not far from Montalcino, so it’s a great place to be based to explore too, then soak in the hot springs at Posta Marcucci and have dinner at Osteria del Leone — bliss!

Villa Lena is also an interesting place, in the hills between Pisa and Florence, one that I think is great for families (the wonderful kids pool and art activities) that have lovely rooms and a whole schedule of things to do, from yoga to art classes to special concerts.

Farm stay:

In San Gimignano there is Fattoria Poggio Alloro, our happy place, our go-to when we need a staycation or just a break for a weekend. There’s nothing I really want more than a stay here - simple, comfortable rooms on a working organic farm. Delicious meals prepared at their restaurant every day right off the farm, wine, views, farm animals and a pool to keep the kids entertained. A wonderful place at any season (and I can say this as I have literally stayed here in every month of the year when I helped work on their cookbook!).

Terre di Cocomo, above. A really beautiful organic farm with stylishly and thoughtfully restored rooms, charming views and a divine pool. They are in an off-the-beaten path area between Pistoia and Lucca, and they grow prized fagioli di Sorana on a tiny strip of land right next to the Sorana river (the best white beans on the planet). Worth exploring also the nearby Buggiano a Castello, a beautiful town that hosts an open garden visit to see the secret citrus gardens.

Spa Stays:

I mentioned Bagno Vignoni, above, one of my favourite hot springs in Tuscany because it is the hottest hot spring of Tuscany (50°C at the source!) so I absolutely love visiting in the winter. Here, you can stay at Locando del Loggiato that I mentioned (and visit Hotel Posta Marcucci with a day pass to soak in the hot springs — waters which have been visited by the likes of Saint Catherine of Siena and Lorenzo the Magnificent, particularly appreciated for skin issues and anything to do with female health). Also here you can stay at Adler Spa Resort Thermae, with private indoor and outdoor hot spring pools, a restaurant (dinner is included), a kids club (yay!) and all the treatments you could possibly imagine — here’s a post from my blog about our stay there.

Saturnia is also a beautiful hot spring to visit, especially if you love hot springs in the wild. Agriturismo Le Cascatelle is a simple, welcoming place with self catering where you can reach the cascades by Saturnia’s mulino (the best spot for bathing in the wild) in a few minutes by foot — just wander down in your dressing gown and bathers!

Special occasion:

If you’re traveling with a couple of families and want a dreamy place to stay for the week, take a look at Villa Pienza, above, run by the same sisters who look after Locanda del Loggiato in Bagno Vignoni, you can just feel the love poured into this place. Romantic rooms, wonderful kitchens, 360 degree views of gorgeous Pienza and the Val d’Orcia and plenty of privacy. The absolute Tuscan dream.

Another place for week long stays, perfect for bigger groups of families or friends, Castello di Fighine is a magical place on the border of Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. Rebuilt entirely from the 11th century rubble that this abandoned village had become, Castello di Fighine now houses several beautifully restored apartments and even a Michelin starred restaurant by Heinz Beck. I’ll share more on this place in depth soon.

Il Pellicano in Porto Ercole (below) is a place to go for a special occasion, when you don’t have kids in tow (they’re not even allowed!) and when you want to live a moment of la dolce vita. Extremely private and beautiful, you may never want to leave the resort to explore but you should, to wander the old fishing port (here are my recommendations for places to eat in Porto Ercole) and you should hop over to Giglio island while you’re so close.

Remote island stay to get away from it all!

Pardini’s Hermitage in Giglio Island is the place for you if you want to get away from it all. It’s quite a quirky place — I will mention this up front — not for everybody especially for the number of stairs, I would avoid if traveling with very little ones or anyone with knee problems (we went with a 4 year old and that was fine but younger I think would be trickier). But if you want to be completely and utterly off the beaten track and be immersed in a beautiful place that feels like stepping back in time, it’s for you - see this post here for more!