The 30 greatest hotels in Italy
Italy has so much to offer the visitor: art-packed cities, majestic mountains, a dazzling coastline and some of the best food and wine in the world. The accommodation scene doesn’t disappoint either. Take your pick from grand lakeside piles, cliff-hanging coastal gems and rural resorts inhabiting entire hamlets with a handful of frescoed rooms in the storied family palazzo. There are sleek, design-led city boltholes, hilltop castles with dreamy vineyard views, cosy mountain retreats with stellar restaurants and fabulous spa resorts offering solace for mind and body.
Recent years have seen a host of new Italian hotel openings, especially in the major cities, with big-name international brands adding lustre to the already rich pickings at the top of the pile while a slew of new boutique-style options offer a more personalised – and affordable – approach. To bag a bargain, and to avoid the crowds, travel off-season; in winter for the art cities and in the so-called ‘shoulder seasons’ for hotels on the coast, around the lakes and in the mountains. This is our pick of the 30 greatest hotels in Italy for your next visit.
How we review
Every hotel in this curated list has been visited by one of our expert reviewers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis. They stay for a minimum of one night, test at least one meal and trial other experiences that the hotel might have to offer.
At a glance, the greatest hotels in Italy
The greatest hotel on the lakes in Italy - Villa d’Este, Lake Como
The greatest city hotel in Italy - The Gritti Palace, Venice
The greatest rural hotel in Italy - Borgo Santo Pietro, Tuscany
The greatest hotel on the coast in Italy - Il San Pietro di Positano, Amalfi Coast
The greatest island hotel in Italy - Villa Igiea, Sicily
The greatest hotels on the lakes in Italy
Il Sereno remains as fabulous as when it opened in 2016, revolutionising the Lake Como hotel scene with its contemporary Urquiola-designed interiors. It has a waterfront location on a sun-kissed promontory in the town of Torno, and along with a sleek infinity pool on the lakeshore, there's a delightful little spa located in a former boathouse. The suites are chic, exceptionally comfortable and finished with Flos lamps and eye-catching B&B Italia chairs, young chef Raffaele Lenzi is behind the creative cuisine at Michelin-starred Il Sereno Al Lago, and a small sandy beach offers direct access to the lake.
Sitting on the lakefront in the small town of Cernobbio, Villa d’Este is a Lake Como icon in high summer and a fairytale wonderland during the winter months. This exceptionally grand hotel combines near-faultless service with outstanding facilities, and the chandelier-hung interiors exude elegance. Rooms are classically decorated, with antiques, embroidered silks and objets d’art, offering lake, garden or courtyard views, while marble bathrooms are equipped with Villa d’Este branded toiletries. La Veranda is the main restaurant here, serving Italian fine dining cuisine, while the focus at Il Platano, is on fine wines, with guests choosing from eight carefully curated dishes that have been expertly paired with vintages.
The oh-so-fashionable Grand Hotel Tremezzo is a must-stay address in Lake Como, perhaps best known for its impressive façade, lakefront setting and magnificent floating pool. The hotel also stands out for its mountain-backed garden, which features another glittering swimming pool beneath a canopy of banana trees. Inside, bedrooms quiet and peaceful, with period furnishings marrying with contemporary pieces in bright pops of colour (think Louis XV style bedside tables and ornate gilded picture frames; amethyst buttoned headboards and velvet chesterfield armchairs). Other excellent facilities include a reading room, a billiard room and a floodlit clay tennis court, plus a spa housed within the 18th-century Villa Emilia that's home to a sauna, a steam room and a marble-clad hammam.
This charming 16th-century locanda has one of the most stunning locations on Lake Garda, offering a peaceful and romantic setting right on the water. Guests can relax by a swimming pool set amid lemon trees and olive groves, enjoy an aperitivo on the waterfront and get to know the surrounding areas through activities like private boat trips and vineyard tours. The characterful house is furnished with the owner’s private collection of antiques and heirlooms, and walls are embellished with 16th-century prints. The restaurant serves exceptional cuisine in an elegant dining room; a handful of tables are laid out on a small loggia right above the water where you can dine to the sound of the waves lapping against the building
The greatest city hotels in Italy
The Venice Venice offers something totally new for the city. It is art-filled and artful, with a bracingly contemporary style that sits surprisingly well amid the old-school splendour of its Grand Canal setting. The hotel occupies two adjacent buildings, opposite the law courts and the Rialto market, and creators Alessandro Gallo and his wife Francesca Rinaldo – the duo behind the Golden Goose fashion label – describe the aesthetic as post-Venetian. As serious collectors, they’ve made the hotel as much an exhibition space for their extensive collection of art as a design-forward place to stay, and highlights include the indoor-outdoor restaurant, which has a glorious terrace that's open to the canal on three sides.
The Gritti Palace, a favourite among discerning travellers since it opened as a hotel in 1895, sits in an enviable spot on the lower reaches of the Grand Canal. In this location, the hotel looks across the water to the church of Santa Maria della Salute and the historic warehouses that now house the Punta della Dogana art space. Inside, heritage meets modern luxury, with antiques, artworks and Murano chandeliers hanging beside heaps of technological gadgetry. If it's atmosphere you're after, the Club del Doge restaurant certainly delivers, whether you're inside in the lavishly decorated dining room or out on the hugely romantic canal-side terrace.
This Belmond hotel has shown enduring appeal since it was founded by Giuseppe Cipriani (creator of the Bellini cocktail) in 1956. In its idyllic location on Giudecca Island, the hotel is surrounded by verdant gardens and its grounds are home to the largest swimming pool in all of Venice. The original 1950s structure is washed in a peachy Bellini pink and it’s all furnished in a classic style with Venetian art and antiques. A separate annexe, occupying the 15th-century Palazzo Vendramin, has the best view across Giudecca canal. A highlight of the hotel is its main restaurant, Cip’s Club, which has a dreamy location on the water.
Considered Florence’s most lavish hotel, this urban retreat occupies a magnificent Renaissance palazzo set within acres of mature gardens but a 15-minute walk from the Duomo. It's a living museum of eye-popping works of art and original architectural detail like bas-relief frieze and stucco. Bedrooms lack nothing by way of comforts and amenities. Most are furnished in a fairly restrained Empire style: expect antique furniture, thick carpets and huge, enveloping beds made up with fine white linens, feather duvets and the softest of pillows. The grounds are cut with meandering paths and planted with exotic shrubs, there's an impressive swimming pool, and the spa is one of the best in Florence. Paolo Lavezzini took over the Il Palagio restaurant in 2021, and soon won a Michelin star and an enthusiastic local following
The Place occupies a tall, elegant townhouse in the centre of Florence, just south of Santa Maria Novella Station. With its immaculate interiors, cocooning atmosphere and exceptional service, it’s the perfect Florentine pied-à-terre. Spread over four floors are 20 rooms, wrapped around a small internal courtyard and done out in a palette of whites and creams with blond oak floors and four-posters hung with heavy wool drapes. The lounge bar and restaurant is a relaxed space with an open fire and comfortable chairs, perfect for a signature cocktail (a Smoky Negroni maybe) or an intimate dinner for two. Chef Asso Migliore’s all-day menu features the likes of avocado and green apple salad, tartare of rare Calvano beef, and his signature ‘Lo Spaghetto’.
You'll find Portrait Firenze on the north bank of the Arno, a few steps east of the Ponte Vecchio. The watery views of the river and the famous bridge are splendid, and the hotel's sophisticated design will appeal to style hounds. The modern-classic interiors feature retro furniture, exquisite textiles and a wonderful collection of monochrome prints. Suites are generously sized, with pale walls, smart rugs on dark, hardwood floors and a selection of carefully-chosen objéts. All have a tiny kitchenette hidden in a lacquered cabinet, complete with a Nespresso machine and a mini dishwasher. There is no spa, but guests can arrange soothing in-room massages, and the bistrot-style Caffè dell’Oro turns out contemporary Italian dishes with a global slant.
The ultra-sophisticated J.K. Place Roma, housed in what was once Rome’s school of architecture, is that rare five-star boutique hotel able to offer over-the-top luxury with a disarmingly casual air that makes every guest feel immediately at home. The 27 bedrooms and suites – decorated in shades of dove grey, petrol green and cream – come with rosewood four-poster beds, monogrammed pillowcases and fine Italian linens, and the walk-in dressing rooms are big enough to hold even the most impressive designer wardrobes. While you might expect to find a fine-dining restaurant here, J.K. Place has opted instead for an elegant but informal offering with the J.K. Café: an all-day restaurant open from breakfast through to aperitivo time and then on to dinner.
Every facet of Hotel de Russie is a masterclass in Italian elegance and expertise. Retro glamour is the style here, with its interiors drawing on elements of Ancient Rome and art deco. In true Rocco Forte style, the hotel is a bastion of old school hospitality but with genuine warmth and humour that staves off any stuffiness. The 120 rooms and suites, some facing into the courtyard and garden, are joined by inviting facilities including a curvaceous indoor saltwater pool and Finnish sauna. The spectacular Stravinskij Bar and Jardin de Russie restaurant are nestled in a low central courtyard, climbing skyward into lush terraced gardens.
Locations don’t get much better than that of this elegant Park Hyatt hotel, which is situated in the heart of Milan, right by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade and around the corner from Piazza del Duomo. The grand hotel recently marked the completion of a multi-year renovation, transforming sumptuous spaces including its palatial terraced suites and fine dining restaurant, Pellico 3 Milano. This gastronomic dining spot, central all-day dining venue La Cupola and sophisticated Mio Lab Cocktail Bar are popular with locals as well as in-house guests. The serene, low-lit Aqvam Spa provides an oasis of relaxation, complete with thermal facilities, in the city.
Milan’s Mandarin Oriental offers a wonderfully peaceful location in the city’s upmarket Montenapoleone district and thrills guests with its top-notch service and leafy courtyard gardens. It's spread across four 18th-century buildings, with interiors combining traditional Milanese design with subtle Asian-inspired details that echo the hotel group’s heritage (silk fabrics; doorknobs resembling gongs). Rooms are wonderfully comfortable, with parquet floors, bespoke Italian fittings and walnut and oak boiserie. There are two restaurants – two-Michelin-starred Seta and the more informal Mandarin Garden – and the spa is a delight, offering treatments by Biologique Recherche, Subtle Energies and 111Skin.
The greatest rural hotels in Italy
Forestis is an above-the-clouds wellness retreat in an absurdly beautiful South Tyrolean valley. Synthesising the well-tread Alpine chateau look with three architecturally stunning towers that rocket above the treetops, it delivers a sleekly unorthodox back-to-the-future experience. Rooms feature enormous windows, plenty of blonde wood and deep-tub bathrooms made with Dolomite stone. There's a heated outdoor pool, a Finnish-style sauna in the woods, and treatments in the whisper-quiet spa include forest salt baths and nurturing massages incorporating pine-scented oils and locally foraged sticks. The restaurant is a destination in its own right, with a satisfyingly creative tasting menu that changes nightly.
Not only one of Italy’s best rural boutique retreats, Borgo Santo Pietro is also a working estate. Here, farm-to-table food, cocooning rooms and a pampering spa come hand in hand with a passionate commitment to sustainability and experiences including fermenting and cheese-making. The hotel is set in a picturesque part of the Tuscan countryside, southwest of Siena. In the main villa, cosy public spaces with fireplaces are decorated in rich earthy colours, leather and velvet. Eight of the 22 rooms and suites are located in the main house, with pool- and garden-suites then dotted throughout the grounds. Guests can dine on dishes showcasing the estate’s produce at the green-Michelin-starred restaurant and indulge in Seed to Skin treatments at the spa.
A fairytale castle in the dreamy Umbrian hills. Castello di Reschio offers stylish and luxurious accommodation of the highest order. The vast estate is also home to a lawn-framed swimming pool, a subterranean spa, a stable of Andalucian dressage horses and a whole host of activities (think clay-pigeon shooting, cookery classes, foraging, and wine and olive oil tasting). Of the 36 rooms and suites, 31 are located in the castle itself, with the others occupying the ex-vestry of an adjacent church. All of them pay homage to a past resident of the castle, a family member or the room’s past use. A farm-to-table ethos steers the Umbria-centric menus, with as much as possible coming from the estate itself or within the immediate area.
There’s nowhere quite like Borgo Egnazia, a purpose-built tribute to a traditional Puglian village. Despite being flush with facilities, the hotel achieves an intimacy through phenomenally personable staff and its six resolutely Italian restaurants. Many of the rooms are done-out in billowy romance-novel white, with canopies over the beds and thick tasselled cream throws providing a cosy counter to the stone walls. Families will naturally be drawn to the various three-storey villas (sleeping from four up to 14), which have more “Italian country home”-style interiors and a private pool. Elsewhere, there are four salt-water pools, a superb spa and a good line-up of activities centred upon Puglian traditions. The top-billed restaurant is Michelin-starred Due Camini, though you can’t go wrong at any of the other, more casual, options either.
The internationally acclaimed chef Massimo Bottura and his wife Lara opened this country house hotel outside central Modena in Emilia-Romagna. As you’d expect, food and wine is a focus, with gourmet products to take from the kitchen and a kitchen garden providing ingredients for the restaurant. Breakfast and dinner is served at shared tables at the coach house and guests are encouraged to interact with chefs who prepare the food in an open kitchen. There are just 12 rooms in total, all individually and stylishly designed, and the garden has a swimming pool, tennis court and boules. A former warehouse has been converted into a grown-up playroom featuring fitness and thermal facilities.
Positioned in the heart of Tuscan Maremma, La Pescaia is an enchanting place that gives the feeling of staying at a friend's laidback but beautiful estate. The property takes over a 19th-century borgo, complete with a chapel built around a grassy piazzale. At its head is a large restored villa-farmhouse where many of the original features have been left in place, and on-site facilities include a gorgeous pool in pale travertine marble, a bocce court, a great restaurant and an al fresco bar. the location offers the possibility of enjoying both the coast and the countryside – the popular beach resort of Castiglione della Pescaia lies a 20-minute drive to the west, while the rugged Argentario peninsula is an hour to the south.
The restoration of a small Tuscan village has resulted in this rural idyll where a celebration of Tuscan food, wine, wellness, culture and art come together. The variety of dining venues include the 2024-opened restaurant Zita, designed by Foster + Partners, and other standout facilities include a culinary academy, contemporary art gallery, performing arts venue and culinary school. The expansive spa drawing inspiration from Roman wellness traditions encompasses a thermal spa circuit and cryotherapy chambers. There are 31 rooms in total, of which there are 20 village or Tuscan view rooms and suites and three private village houses encompassing between two and six bedrooms.
The greatest hotels on the coast in Italy
This Mediterranean resort remains an Italian legend. Its position is stunning, on a cliff overlooking a rugged private cove, and its owners have managed to maintain its timeless dolce vita vibe since it opened in 1965. The sense of history remains in this seaside spot set amid perfectly grown-in gardens, with terraces running down to the coastline and a saltwater pool, where film stars and stylemakers have come for generations to unplug. Many of the rooms have terraces – some with a knock-out view of the sea – and one has its own private pool. There are two restaurants on site – one is Peligrill, the more informal option where most guests go for every day dining, and then The Pellicano is the property’s Michelin-starred spot, with chef Michelino Gioia at the helm.
The Santa Caterina is a winning mix of traditional and Amalfi Coast glamour, run with huge charm by the fourth generation of the hotel’s original owners. You’ll find it perched on a clifftop in steeply terraced gardens, just far enough out of Amalfi town to feel away from the crowds. Inside, the cool, white interiors, which are dotted with antiques, provide a refuge from the mayhem of the coastal area. Most of the airy rooms and suites, each with its own character, are housed in the rambling main building while others (very private, very romantic) are hidden in annexes in the gardens. Fragrant terraces, plus a lift plunging vertiginously down the cliffside, lead down to a brilliant beach club complete with a swimming pool, a restaurant and access to the sea.
Frequented by such stars as George Clooney and Julia Roberts, the legendary and oh-so-glam San Pietro lives up to its reputation. But the luxuriousness and spectacular setting belie what is, at the heart, a family operation, so the five-star service comes with genuine warmth. The San Pietro is carved into the sheer rock face like something out of a James Bond movie and hidden from prying eyes. The property oozes discreet glamour through its gleaming hallways, magnificent terraces and guest rooms. There is a bar with a spectacular terrace overlooking the sparkling lights of Positano, a gourmet restaurant, spa and fabulous terraced gardens.
The legendary Sirenuse is one of the Med's great hotels – cool, sophisticated and expensive yet with the feel of a private home, albeit a very privileged one. Exceptional facilities go hand-in-hand with exquisite service and a superb cliffside setting a short sashay from the centre of Positano. From its elevated cliffside position just outside the pedestrian-only centre of Positano, the Sirenuse commands wonderful views over the tumble of village houses, the colourful dome of Santa Maria Assunta and the beach. Rooms are stuffed with an eclectic collection of museum-quality antiques and facilities abound, from La Sponda restaurant to the pool and spa.
A seaside hotel in grand style and with a distinguished history, the Excelsior Vittoria is set in glorious gardens and offers sweeping views of Vesuvius across the Bay of Naples, five-star services and facilities, and superb food. The hotel is located bang in the centre of Sorrento, with its glorious gardens, filled with scented blooms and birdsong, acting as a buffer to the crowds that squeeze into Sorrento in high season. The 1834-established hotel spans three connected buildings, which are set on a cliff top overlooking the sea. A sense of timeless glamour is preserved in inviting spaces including a gourmet restaurant, spa and magnificent pool.
The greatest island hotels in Italy
This iconic sixties hotel, set on one of the most idyllic bays of Sardinia’s Emerald Coast, shot to stardom when James Bond (Roger Moore) and Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) stayed here in The Spy Who Loved Me. Today it retains all the laid-back charm of the flower power generation. There’s still a breezy boho vibe to this Marriott Luxury Collection hotel, which was originally modelled on a traditional Sardinian fishing village. The excellent range of facilities at the hotel now includes a lagoon-style saltwater pool, Shiseido spa and a handful of restaurants and bars including a Matsuhisa dining spot.
Susafa is a bucolic retreat, found far away from the stresses of modern life, that offers a unique opportunity for escape and relaxation. This 1,200-acre farm estate and its 19th-century ‘baglio’ lies at the heart of rural Sicily. The sprawling house and its outbuildings have been beautifully converted in an unfussy contemporary rustic style. The atmosphere is relaxed, homely and above all, utterly peaceful. The facilities here all celebrate nature and the surrounding landscape. A pool looks out over the hills and there’s a roof terrace with 360-degree views. Wine tasting and cooking classes are among the activities on offer.
The magnificent Belle Époque Villa Igiea is set in lush gardens overlooking Palermo’s Acquasanta port. The hotel has been restored with glorious panache by owner Sir Rocco Forte and his sister – doyenne of fabulous hotel design – Olga Polizzi. The villa is an art nouveau fantasy, with interiors of luminous elegance that open out to sea views and narrow paths winding through the glorious gardens. Joining its 72 rooms and 28 suites across 11 categories, there’s a kidney-shaped pool, tennis courts, the Irene Forte spa, two restaurants and the Igiea Terrazza bar. The hotel has several boats and a private dock.
This sophisticated Aeolian island retreat is immersed in lush, exquisitely tended vineyards on a cliff top, with mesmerising views across the sea to Europe’s most active volcano. It’s all very refined, urbane and restrained, and a few days at Capofaro is a sure detox for body, mind and soul. The hotel is virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the island’s villages, with its 27 rooms occupying Aeolian-style white washed houses, scattered around the wine estate, and in the restored lighthouse giving the hotel its name. The restaurant and bar is located right by the pool, with other common areas then including a clubhouse.
Contributions by Anne Hanley, Gemma Knight-Gilani, Harriet Charnock-Bates, Juliet Rix, Kate Bolton-Porciatti, Kiki Deere, Lauren Jade Hill, Mike MacEacheran, Ondine Cohane, Rebecca Winke, Ros Belford, Sarah Lane and Steven King.
