Stepping through the front door of Stella d’Italia is to enter into Florentine artist-owner Betty Soldi’s world of whimsy. Just like her three other boutique hotels across the city, everything here is brushed with excellent taste and plenty of quirkiness.
Just like stepping through the looking glass, it’s almost impossible to find the front door first time around. I must have walked up and down Via de’Tornabuoni – Florence’s main designer shopping street – a hundred times in the years I’ve lived in this city. And yet I’d never noticed the entrance to Stella d’Italia before. The same was true on the night we arrived at the hotel, late and weighed down with luggage. We paced up and down once, twice, window-shopping at Prada and Balenciaga but failing to spot the almost-hidden marble signage. I checked the map again, number 7, and then finally spied the small gold doorbell.
Inside, things are no less unexpected. There are dramatic frescoes, free standing bathtubs next to beds, and hidden corridors leading around the rabbit warren. Along one such corridor, a beautiful rooftop terrace with velvet armchairs suddenly appears. Betty Soldi is big on championing local artists and designers, their works dotted among the Renaissance treasures.
Why stay at Stella d’Italia?
The palazzo was built in the 16th century by Giorgio Vasari, the same architect who built the Uffizi Galleries and Palazzo Vecchio, as well as the secret passageway across the river that links them to Palazzo Pitti. Over the centuries, it has been home to various noble Florentine families and a Russian prince, as well as acting as the HQ for an aristocratic horseracing club.
The building’s centuries of Florentine history seeps into the experience in unexpected ways. Lardo di Collonata (deliciously fine slices of cured pork fat) served at breakfast is a nod to Michelangelo, who ate this same dish for breakfast before going to the nearby quarries to choose his marble slabs. Hints of original frescoes - some hundreds of years old - peep from ceilings and in some of the bedrooms. And then there’s the breakfast room, where all four walls and ceiling are covered with an original 18th century fresco depicting scenes from around Tuscany.
What are the rooms like at Stella d’Italia?
There are 24 bedrooms spread across three floors of the palace, each totally different from one another. Common themes across most of the rooms include free-standing bathtubs, dramatically high ceilings and bold use of colours. We stayed in room 21, one of the five ‘deluxe with a view’ rooms, where wine-red walls and green curtains feel like an expression of Betty Soldi’s creative inner mind. The luxurious super-king bed and sense of space was impressive, but what stole the show were the two giant windows opening onto Via Tornabuoni itself. There are over 500 original artworks across the hotel, and many of these find their way into the bedrooms.
What are the best places to eat and drink nearby?
You’re bang in the middle of the historic centre here, so the world is your oyster in terms of restaurants. Procacci 1885 is a perennial favourite among Florence old-timers, and is a one-minute walk from your front door: here, savour tiny truffle sandwiches and glasses of Champagne for ‘aperitivo’, before heading on for dinner. For a true Florentine dining experience, Buca Lapi a little further up the same road is as hearty and traditional as it gets, with Bistecca Fiorentina (Florentine steak), wild boar ragù and other classics. Just over the bridge and less than five minutes from your hotel on foot, Trattoria Cammillo is another must-visit restaurant, and one of the best places in town for traditional fare with plenty of character. La Sorbettiera is also on your doorstep, serving some of the best ice cream in town. Back at the hotel, don’t miss out on a cocktail on your rooftop terrace, where you can enjoy views across the city’s terracotta rooftops with none of the crowds.
What is the service like at Stella d’Italia?
The welcome at Stella d’Italia feels deliberately and delightfully dated, a bit like turning up at a B&B in the 1950s. There’s no self check-in here; a lovely Italian lady is instead waiting at a big wooden desk, with garish pink lights and a bowl of nostalgic Italian sweets. The team are friendly and will happily answer all your questions, but will generally leave you to it.
What’s the area like around Stella d’Italia?
Italians would describe Via Tornabuoni as ‘centralissima’, or super central, and it’s true that you don’t get a better location for exploring Florence. For a first time visit to the city, you’re ideally placed to access all the big hitters on foot: the Duomo, Uffizi Galleries and Strozzi Gallery are all a short stroll away. You’re also surrounded by the best high-end shopping in Florence, and strolling up and down the wide boulevard of Via Tournabuoni and into Piazza della Repubblica is an unmissable experience. To delve deeper into this quarter’s long history with Italian fashion, pop into the fascinating Ferragamo museum just a couple of minutes from your hotel. A five minute walk and you’re at Ponte Santa Trinita, taking you over the Arno river to the quieter Oltrarno district.
Why you should you book a stay at Stella d’Italia
Everything about Stella d’Italia is designed to gently surprise and enchant you: the little calligraphy notebooks left by the bed, the mad clashes of colours and styles and fabrics, the thoughtfully chosen travel magazines left out to read. It’s rare to find somewhere with this much personality in such an incredible central location, which makes the price point feel incredibly reasonable.
For a peaceful sleep away from the hustle and bustle of the city, book one of the two superior rooms with terraces at the back of the palazzo, looking over the terracotta rooftops below. To look right out over the action, the five ‘Deluxe with a View’ rooms all offer lots of space and huge windows onto the glamour of Via Tornabuoni below. For the best prices and availability if you’re keen on a specific room, book a couple of months in advance and consider going outside of the main school holidays.
DETAILS
Address: Via de' Tornabuoni 7, Florence, 50123
Price per night: Starting from €180 per night including breakfast
Closest transport: Florence airport is a 20-minute drive, and the main Santa Maria Novella train station is a 10-minute walk