An idiosyncratic, thoroughly charming experience, Hotel Palazzo Guadagni manages to combine Florence’s beauty and grace with a rare, bohemian charm. Situated on the third floor of a building which sits on one of the city’s coolest (yet relatively under-the-radar) squares, the hotel feels somewhere between a billionaire’s cosmopolitan bolthole and an upmarket youth hostel.
Guadagni was built in the 1500s, in the bit of Florence associated with artists and craftspeople. Today, Piazza Santo Spirito retains a pleasingly grunge-y, creative vibe. While much of the city heaves with stress-making tourists, this part of town feels shockingly casual. The cafes surrounding the square are full of normal Florentine folk, sipping espressos at the counter or enjoying cold beers in the shade outside. The hotel itself is accessed via a single, slow and shonky elevator (or six flights of stairs), giving the whole thing a gratifyingly clandestine edge. Rooms are spacious and grand. A lot of hotels billing themselves as luxurious have a huge disconnect between the grand lobbies, the mundane corridors and the repetitive rooms. Not Guadagni, which feels cohesive from every staircase to the bathrooms to the balcony bar. It’s all grand. It’s all authentic.
Oh: the balcony bar. Guadagni’s drinking terrace is a spacious, grand-looking vantage, carved out of the building’s corner, overlooking the bustling square below. In the afternoon, sunlight floods through it. It genuinely might be one of the nicest (and most naturally stylish) places to sit and drink a negroni in Florence.
Rooms vary in style, but they all have tons of class and all feel in keeping with the artfully faded grandeur of the building as a whole. Some of the bedroom views, out over the raggle-taggle rooftops of the neighbourhood are straight-up magical. This isn’t a hotel that offers you a huge amount to ‘do’, but that’s the point. It’s an ideal base of operations, one that feels very much part of the city it serves.
Neighbourhood
One of the cooler, artier bits of Florence, Santo Spirito is a great area through which to wander. The Oltrarno area nearby, is known for its workshops and craftspeople, many of whom you can see whittling and carving away throughout the day, in their open-fronted studios. If you do feel like braving the crowds of tourists, Ponte Vecchio is only a 15-minute walk away, linking you to the ever-popular (and typically very busy) Uffizi Gallery and the Basilica of Santa Croce.
Nearby
Trattoria La Casalinga For traditional Tuscan food and generous portions. This family-run restaurant has a brilliantly fun atmosphere
Enoteca Spontanea For (as the name would suggest) spontaneous glasses of wine in the street. A bar favoured by local chefs
Dalla Lola For incredibly inventive, predominantly vegetarian food, served in a fun environment by very nice people
Time Out tip All of the rooms differ quite a lot, so if you want it to have specific amenities, like a stand-up bath, the best thing to do is ask.