il Salviatino Firenze

"Set on a hillside in Fiesole, Il Salviatino places you quite literally above it all. It’s a lofty perch in the metaphorical sense as well — a 15th-century villa that’s now one of Tuscany’s finest small luxury hotels." - Mark Fedeli

"The problem with 15th-century villas would be the 15th-century plumbing. And the 15th-century water, and maybe even some of the 15th-century eating habits, depending on your taste. Fortunately, the only thing that’s 15th-century about Il Salviatino is the building, and maybe a few pieces of art. A painstakingly restored villa-turned-boutique-hotel set on sprawling grounds overlooking Florence ’s scenic rooftops, Il Salviatino is thoroughly modern where it counts: in the quality of its beds and bathrooms, and in its sense of luxury, which has a staff of ambassadors who are available at your beck and call 24 hours a day. Its artwork spans several hundred years—the 19th-century fresco, located in the Affresco Suite, deserves to be in a museum—and the oversized leather chesterfields and carved wooden chairs and bookshelves seem to have been lifted from private libraries and clubs over the last 150 years. As for the cuisine, both your Italian nonna and a Michelin-starred chef would gush over the hotel’s farm-to-table Tuscan cooking."

"Although Il Salviatino has a Fiesole address—the neighborhood set along the hillside summer retreat of great Florentine families come and gone—this 44-room grand villa is actually located on the slope of the town’s famous hill (not the most atmospheric part). Nevertheless, once you’re on the hotel’s vast grounds, the panorama is still pretty spectacular. The 15th-century property itself is impressive, with a steep, white plaster façade, handsome common areas including an entrance hall with a vaulted brick ceiling (where carriage horses used to be housed), and a wood-paneled library with antique leather-bound volumes. The marvelously restored rooms have original details such as black-and-white-checkered marble floors and frescoed ceilings that are made comfortably modern with tufted leather headboards, TVs that cleverly double as oversized mirrors, and rain showers enhanced by LED lighting. One suite, the Affresco, has a bathtub shaped like a 12th-century stone sarcophagus—equally impressive a piece, but a little less claustrophobic. At night, silver candelabras and a sprinkling of outdoor lanterns illuminate the property. Dine on the terrace, where potato dumplings with white meat ragout are among the standouts. There is no formal check-in, but "service ambassadors" are concierges and butlers in one."

"Il Salviatino, a 15th century farmhouse-turned-hotel in Fiesole, Italy, offers virtual cooking lessons by Executive Chef Silvia Grossi. Grossi specializes in Tuscan cuisine, using seasonal and local ingredients from the hotel's organic orchard and herb garden. The hotel features 44 rooms with views of Florence." - Travel + Leisure Editors