Florence’s bounty of extant heritage architecture has been a boon for hoteliers, in particular, who might be looking for suitably grand interiors in which to play house. Case in point is the quirky 38-room Calimala which has just opened in the city’s Centro Storico quarter.
The London- and Tel Aviv-based architect and interior designer Alex Meitlis has, as his canvas, the 19th century Palazzo degli Angeli whose distressed stone façade and etched sgraffito opens into a completely reimagined interior. The best rooms in the house are the corner suites where Meitlis has allowed some of the original stonework and oak window shutters to form the backdrop for an eclectic mood-board of burnt orange bed-bases, mirrored panels and Kvadrat textiles.
The public spaces, meanwhile, pick up the eclectic note with a swathe of paintings and photography by Young Turks such as Mosh Kashi and Carmel Ilan, all of which can be snapped up by covetous guests on check-out.
The hotel’s fifth, sixth and seventh floors are given over to Angel – a generous spread of restaurant, bars and lounge whose fused notes of Mediterranean and Italian flavours by head chef Alberto Bergami are anchored by an outdoor plunge pool. If that doesn’t thrill, there’s hardly cause to despair – Florence’s juiced-up food scene is steps away alongside the usual suspects of the nearby Uffizi and the Boboli Gardens.
ADDRESS
Via Calimala 2
50123 Florence
-
Highlights from the transporting Cruise 2026 showsThe Cruise 2026 season began yesterday with a Chanel show at Lake Como, heralding the start of a series of jet-setting, destination runway shows from fashion’s biggest houses
-
Behind the design of national pavilions in Venice: three studios to knowDesigning the British, Swiss and Mexican national pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 are three outstanding studios to know before you go
-
Premium patisserie Naya is Mayfair’s latest sweet spotHeritage meets opulence at Naya bakery in Mayfair, London. With interiors by India Hicks and Anna Goulandris, the patisserie looks good enough to eat
-
Sun-soaked European destinations to visit in springDreaming of Florentine palazzos and Greek islands now that the weather is starting to turn? Check into one of these beautiful European hotels and holiday homes
-
Everything you need to know about Italy's Lake Maggiore, according to FormafantasmaFrom baroque gardens to panoramic views, Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin show us around this Italian escape
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Romeo Roma: a new hotel that’s one of Zaha Hadid’s last projectsLocated within Rome’s Tridente, Romeo Roma is a palimpsest of periods in which the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid left her avant-garde mark
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitalityAs women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designThere’s more magic to the movies at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s ‘flying’ roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
The best Milan bars for a fashionable aperitivoMilan’s after-dark renaissance is evident in a new wave of design-led cocktail bars, setting the right mood for enticing aperitivos and nightcaps; Milan editor Laura May Todd recommends the best
-
How Four Seasons Hotels became The White Lotus’ unofficial starAs The White Lotus season three whisks us to Thailand, Marc Speichert, chief commercial officer of Four Seasons Hotels, discusses the luxury group’s perfect synergy with the hit HBO series – and where you can live the experience
-
Night at the museum: the best art hotels to book nowSleep amid surrealists at London’s Broadwick Soho, or wake up to contemporary favourites at New Hotel in Athens – indulge in an immersive art hotel experience
