Florence has many beautiful hotels, but few enjoy the almost cinematic position of Villa San Michele. Set in the hills above the city, the Belmond property has reopened after an 18-month restoration, bringing one of Tuscany’s most recognisable luxury addresses into a new chapter.
A monastery becomes a modern retreat
Villa San Michele occupies a former Franciscan monastery, giving the property a different energy from the grand hotels inside Florence. It is close to the city, but emotionally removed from it. The view is part of the experience. So are the gardens, terraces and sense of retreat.
The renovation refreshes 39 rooms and suites and adds new wellness and gastronomic elements, including a Spa by Guerlain. That detail matters. Florence has culture and heritage in abundance, but luxury travellers increasingly want recovery, stillness and wellness built into the stay.
Why this reopening matters
Florence can feel intense: museums, queues, crowds, heat, restaurants, shopping, appointments. Villa San Michele offers the opposite rhythm. It is Florence without the friction, Tuscany without the distance.
That makes it especially relevant for international travellers who want to combine art, private guides, shopping, dining and countryside-style calm in one itinerary.
The new Florentine luxury
The reopening also reflects a broader movement in Italian hospitality: historic properties are no longer being preserved as museum pieces. They are being reactivated as wellness-led, experience-rich destinations.
Belmond understands this well. The strongest version of Italian luxury is not only about marble and frescoes. It is about time, gardens, food, views and a sense of being somewhere with a long memory.
Luxury.it perspective
Villa San Michele is ideal for travellers who want Florence as a base, not as a pressure cooker. Stay here if you want the city by day and the hills by evening.
Related guides
Luxury Hotels in Tuscany · Luxury Villas in Tuscany · Spa and Wellness in Italy · Destinations
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