Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo (Florence, Italy)

About Torre di Bellosguardo

Description An avenue lined with ancient cypresses accompanies the guests of the Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo to the entrance of the hotel where an imposing statue of Charity by the famous sculptor Francavilla is the first welcome that guests seeking a special stay in a Florence hotel will experience. The villa’s ample ballroom is decorated with 15th. century frescoes by the famous Poccetti. The halls are adorned with stone carved fireplaces. Between villa and tower there are a succession of small rooms where the atmosphere and decorations still have the power to evoke images of past splendours and a noble lifestyle. Today it is where you will be welcomed with all the comforts of one of the best 4-star hotels of Florence. The hotel is surrounded by a large garden where you can take a pleasant stroll among flowers, through the secret passages and hidden corners, pausing by the pool to enjoy the marvellous view of Florence from the hill. As in the past, the Torre di Bellosguardo estate has a small farm with a totally organic vegetable garden that provides fresh fruits and vegetables for breakfast and snacks as well as a pet collection of farm animals (three donkeys, a pony, ducks and hens) which delight children exploring the property. The hotel is entirely air-conditioned and offers a fax service at the reception, Wi-Fi, a computer with Internet, daily newspapers, transfer services and guided tours ( upon request). A separate room seats 30 persons for small meetings and a free-of charge underground garage is available for guests' cars. Small pets are welcome! SERVICES 24 Hour Reception Buffet Breakfast 20 € Free Wifi across all Hotel Computer with internet at the reception Air conditioning in the entire hotel Rooms With sixteen historic, elegant rooms and suites, each differently decorated in traditional Florentine style, with period furniture, where you will rediscover the past without having to renounce most modern conveniences typical of 4-star hotels in Florence, the Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo is absolutely unique among the historic residences and hotels of Florence with the atmosphere of an ancient private home, blessed with a friendly touch. The spaces are generous and the decorations and frescoes original, like the antique furniture, precious heritage of the noble families that lived in the Torre di Bellosguardo. All rooms are equipped with modern comforts more suitable to today’s lifestyles and have private bathrooms with showers or bathtubs and hairdryer, telephone, LCD TV, mini-bar and Safe. COOKING AT BELLOSGUARDO Whilst staying at Bellosguardo, you might also like to try your hand at cooking. With the aid of the superb vegetable garden, Ana Franchetti, the lady of the house who speaks fluent english, will lead you through the preparation of an entire lunch or dinner party. Ana, a passionate chef will teach you to cook more or less anything: from Classic Italian dishes to Florentine specialities, from pizza to chocolate-pralines. The lessons take place in Ana’s picturesque and wonderfully equipped kitchen and you will be taken through all the stages of fresh pasta making, the leavening of pizza dough, a risotto, a pasta dish, a roast and indeed anything you might enjoy learning; all complete with tips from an expert After the lesson you will all sit together to savour the meal you have just prepared enjoying a conversation about living in Florence over a good glass of Bellosguardo wine. Children of all ages are most welcome and lessons can be geared to adults and children. All cooks will also receive a recipe folder at the end of their class as a memento and a help for future preparations! THE HISTORY OF TORRE DI BELLOSGUARDO Guido Cavalcanti Dante's dear friend recalled in the famous verses "Guido, i’ vorrei che tu e Lapo ed io / fossimo presi per incantamento…" (Guido, I wish that you, Lapo and I/were taken by enchantment...) and also an excellent poet, had the Torre di Bellosguardo built in 1200 as a hunting lodge and family home. In 1500 the Marquises Roti Michelozzi wanted a larger, more noble residence and summoned artists to decorate it including the painter Bernardino Poccetti, the artist of the frescoes in the entry hall and the sculptor Pietro Francavilla who sculpted the splendid Charity that is still above the entrance to welcome the hotel's guests. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Baroness Marion von Hornstein-Franchetti turned the Torre di Bellosguardo into a salon for nobles and intellectuals from all over Europe. Today, Torre di Bellosguardo is still surrounded by the silence of the garden and the hills, a haven of ancient and noble history that it shares everyday with its guests as a hotel of rare comfort and atmosphere. La Torre di Bellosguardo fut construite au XIII° siècle par le poète Guido Cavalcanti, le meilleur ami de Dante Alighieri. Aujourd’hui, c’ est un hôtel, un petit havre de paix et de silence niché sur une colline à l’ abri de l’ effervescence du centre-ville, pourtant tout proche. Fresques et plafonds voûtés dans la salle de réception, loggia, piscine bleu azur et roseraies : tout cela vous transporte dans un monde à part et une atmosphère intemporelle et romantique. Location The Bellosguardo hill, just outside Florence, has preserved unchanged the tranquillity and architecture of the days of Dante and the Medici. Even today, antique villas surrounded by parks and gardens immortalized in literature (Bellosguardo was the home of Guido Cavalcanti, Galileo Galilei and Ugo Foscolo, to name a few) give guests the rare privilege of unique views over Florence. Our hotel is the proud and austere guardian of lovingly tended gardens and flowerbeds, orchards and vineyards, olive groves and cypresses. More than a classic 4-star hotel, Torre di Bellosguardo is an authentic example of a Florentine historic residence, far from the noise of the city yet very close to the heart of Florence (which is easily reached by car in 10 minutes). Torre di Bellosguardo makes for a special hotel stay whilst experiencing Florence in a quiet, understated and comfortable retreat after a day spent visiting the Uffizi and Piazza della Signoria, the Duomo and Baptistery, San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapels or shopping in the exclusive Via de' Tornabuoni and Via de' Calzaiuoli (all places just 10 minutes from the Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo by car). It is the ideal place to start wandering through the artisan's workshops and antique dealers of the Oltrarno, in the less-touristy, more authentic Florence between Piazza del Carmine and Piazza Santo Spirito, just 5 minutes from the hotel. HOW TO REACH US If you are arriving in Florence by plane, from Florence's Amerigo Vespucci Airport, we recommend that you take a taxi (about a 25 minute trip to the hotel) or the "Vola in bus" shuttle to Santa Maria Novella train station. From here, a 10-minute taxi ride brings you to the Torre di Bellosguardo (the hotel is at Via Roti Michelozzi, number 2). However, if you are arriving at Pisa's Galileo Galilei Airport, we recommend that you take the bus or the train to Florence and proceed as above from Santa Maria Novella train station. If you're arriving by train, from Santa Maria Novella station of Florence, we recommend that you take a taxi, which will bring you to the Torre di Bellosguardo in 10 minutes (the hotel is at Via Roti Michelozzi, number 2). If coming by car, the closest exit from the tollway to the Torre di Bellosguardo is Firenze Impruneta. From the tollbooth, follow the signs for Firenze centro/Porta Romana. When you come to Piazzale Porta Romana, take a left on Via Ugo Foscolo and climb to the top of the hill. Turn right on Via Piana and continue to Piazza di Bellosguardo, turn right again into Via Roti Michelozzi. You have arrived, the Hotel Torre di Bellosguardo is at number 2.