Looking for the best hotels in Italy? We consider ourselves experts on travel in Italy and have stayed in all manner of accommodation. Italy certainly embodies most travel dreams with its history, world-famous cuisine, rustic countryside, and flamboyant culture. It’s the one country we continue to return even after visiting a dozen times.
The Best Hotels in Italy
Villa d’Este, Lake Como
Originally a summer palace, Villa D’este, was built on Lake Como in the 16th century. The hotel is grand, elegant, and exactly what you would expect to find on the famous Lake Como.
This exquisite hotel plays host to a slew of high-profile guests. This hotel is old school cool and with one of the best locations on Lake Como. The staff in the hotel are one of its greatest draws due to their decades of experience entertaining and serving. It’s institutions like this that are easy to add to the list of best hotels in Italy.
Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli, Lake Garda
The interiors in this former estate are sure to fill you Italian dreams. The magnificent villa was once the family home of Mussolini and has some serious character. With only 21 rooms the hotel allows for guests to enjoy the intimacy of the estate. The entrance hall features coffered ceilings and original 19th-century wood carved benches.
On the walls are Italian works of art and antique Venetian mirrors. With a two Michelin star restaurant serving guests on a pergola overlooking to stunning Lake Garda meals are a serious affair.
The Gritti Palace, Venice
This hotel is arguably the best hotel in all of Italy. It is an institution and occupies one of the best spots on the Grand Canal in Venice. The palace is situated directly across from Santa Maria Della Salute one of Venice’s greatest churches and an incredible sight. Via private jetty, guests are able to avoid the tourist crowds on their way to the hotel.
Visitors will have a hard time finding what to draw their attention to in the sumptuous palace because even the frescoed floors are masterful works of art. Once you’re able to lift your eye off the floor you’ll find marble-clad walls, priceless paintings, and original antiques from the palace of a former Doge of Venice. There is hardly a better or more fitting place to experience Venice than from The Gritti Palace. Our first time in Venice we even tracked down the hotel to see the famous interior.
Villa Cora, Florence
With all of the bells and whistles of a modern hotel, this new-comer on the Italian hotel scene places guests in their very own Tuscan dreams. The centerpiece here the 19th-century villa constructed by Baron Oppenheim, one of the principal financiers of the Suez Canal.
The villa is Italian decadence with parquet floors, monstrous mirrors, crystal chandeliers and a whole series of reception rooms. Guest at Villa Cora will not have to worry about being pampered because the hotel also houses one of the best spas in Florence offering a wide range of services.
The services and amenities do not stop there with a free shuttle bus that will pick you up anywhere in the city and an outdoor heated pool open year round. In the summer, the rooftop buzzes with guests and outside visitors at the champagne bar there to enjoy the warm Tuscan evenings.
Babuino 181, Rome
With all of these stately villas and palaces, we needed some Italian chic in this list, and there is no better place to do than Rome. In steps, the Babuino 181 the modern hotel is small and tucked away in Rome’s most stylish neighborhood, also known as the Fashion Triangle.
The only traffic in the area is the pedestrian kind that dies down once the sun goes down making for quiet nights in the heart of Rome. The interior is a blend of art-deco and modern Italian making for a wonderful atmosphere. Although there is no restaurant on site, you are in the heart of Rome with plenty of fantastic eats at your doorstep. During the day consider trying a food tour in Rome.
Il San Pietro di Positano, Amalfi Coast
It’s pretty much impossible to not include San Pietro on this list. It is likely the most glamorous hotel in Italy and it has a fabulous setting along the Amalfi Coast. With no sign of a hotel from the outside, the hotel is carved into the cliffs of the famous coastline. This offers guest unparalleled views of the deep blues of the Mediterranean Sea.
The retro-glam hotel has had return visitors from the likes of George Clooney and Julia Roberts so you know there is something special about this place.
There isn’t a want visitors go without here. The hotel caters to almost every service imaginable including a spa, restaurants, tennis court, bars, and a private beach. When guests lay their head down at night they’ll rest easy with views of the ocean from their room’s private terrace.
Bulgari, Milan
Located in Brera, Milan’s artists’ quarter, the Bulgari provides guests a relaxing atmosphere in its private garden. The hotel interiors are decorated with stylish Italian furniture while black and brown color tones prevail. While textures are sleek with granite, teak, oak and bronze fittings.
One of the focal points of the hotel is the spa pool, a 12-metre long gold mosaic pool or the glass hammam with stone seats. The hotel attracts Milan’s most posh and jet-set elite. Elements like an a-la-carte breakfast that include lobsters and champagne don’t go unnoticed.
Borgo Santo Pietro, Tuscany
Set in a remote area of Tuscany this hotel is sure to offer guest an intimate Tuscan getaway. The rooms at Borgo Santo Pietro are all individually decorated and showcase an impressive collection of antique furniture.
The furniture may be antique the level of service is not, guests are even presented with his and hers iPads upon arrival. The restaurant Meo Modo just won a Michelin star.
While the Treehouse Bar, offers guests options such as pizzas, salads, and grilled meat or fish. On a hot Tuscan day, the pool provides spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. This hotel is the perfect Tuscan escape blending the old and new.
There you have it, our list of the best hotels in Italy. This list is by no means definitive, as there are a plethora fabulous, fantastic, glamorous, decadent, luxurious, and stately hotels all over Italy. A holiday in Italy is tough to beat and select from any one of these splendid hotels in Italy with being a tough choice. Perhaps you should just stay at them all.
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