Four Season Hotel: Simply The Best

Florence is definitely full of hotels, B&Bs, guest houses and accommodations for every kind of person, need and... pocket! But today we want to talk about the ultimate accomodation that the Renaissance city has to offer: the Four Season Hotel.

The hotel is located in the Palazzo della Gherardesca, a Renaissance building which was the residence of the Medici family and of the Della Gherardesca. The interiors are characterized by courtyards and lounges decorated with magnificent frescoes, tapestries, carpets and antique furniture.

The property is surrounded by a huge park made up of trees that has the air of a fairy garden, far from the city though is right in the middle. In the Giardino Della Gherardesca you can walk, eat outside or swim in the pool among old trees, fountains, paths, meadows of colorful flowers and stone buildings. The park was originally structured as a Renaissance garden in the fifteenth century, then it has been closed for centuries, just as some enchanted woods, and was then restored in the nineteenth century. Here you can also find rare and endangered species such as the yew and the conifer Thuja also called the "tree of life" for its homeopathic properties. But it does not end here, in the garden there is also a hill covered with trees, whose summit overlooks the city's rooftops and the Duomo.

The lovers of fitness cannot miss the fitness room with cardiovascular and strength-training, personal trainers available to study a personalized exercise program and group classes in yoga and more.

For your moments of relaxation the pool with views of the garden is an oasis of peace. Here you can relax, but also keep fit swimming, enjoy the Jacuzzi or soak up the sun by the pool sipping a cool drink.

For the ultimate pampering the spa offers truly unique treatments like the Chianti massage or scrub with the essence of the Tuscan cypress.

Now the food. Located inside the Palazzo della Gherardesca the restaurant Il Palagio - 1 Michelin star - is a setting made of surprises with vaulted ceilings, elegant furnishings and stunning views of the park. The menu is based on seasonal dishes, traditional dishes revisited with a contemporary twist and wines mostly from Tuscany.

So far it all sounds so fantastic as inaccessible, but the Four Season Hotel in Florence can become a destination for special moments even for "mere mortals". It seems impossible? In the summer restaurant Al Fresco you can eat inside the park just a pizza with a drink for a remarkably affordable cost. Those girls who want to feel like a princess can opt for an afternoon Royal High Tea served in Richard Ginori cups and accompanied by perfect finger sandwiches, scones and delicious sweet pastry. Even the appetizer on Thursday offers a good opportunity to open the doors of the 5 star luxury. Of course, the cost of the aperitif is a bit higher than elsewhere and the portions are just as an aperitif (not as a dinner as we have become accustomed to), but once in a while you can allow yourself a luxury since, as Oscar Wilde said, "the beauty is the only thing that the strength of the time can not harm."