The Oltrarno Splendid lives up to its name, with 14 eclectic and individually-designed rooms, minutes from the Ponte Vecchio and historic centre of Florence.
The work of Francesco Maestrelli, Matteo and Marco Perduca and Betty Soldi, the minds behind two additional hotels in the Renaissance capital, each room is a mix of periods, pieces and styles, with commissioned artworks to boot.
Occupying the upper floors of an 18th century palazzo below the mirror-clad rooftop aerie that was once the studio of Flower Power artist and textile designer Susan Nevelson, a soignée selection of contemporary furnishings – think resin desktops by Gaetano Pesce and period 1950’s lamps – vie with original features, including rediscovered and carefully refreshed frescoes, and fading but fabulous 200 year-old Toile de Jouy wallpaper for attention. But it is the views across the rooftops from the in-room bathtubs that will sweep even the most world-weary off their feet. §
