Words by Asma Al Fahim
In a moment, somewhere between the winding road up through the Fiesole hills and the first glimpse of that Michelangelo-inspired facade through the cypress trees, I understood that I’m not simply checking into a hotel. I’m stepping into an idea of beauty that has had five centuries to refine itself.
Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, reopened on 28 April 2026 after an 18-month renovation, and what greeted me is a conversation between what this place has always been and what luxury in 2026, dares to mean.
My room, one of 39 reimagined spaces designed by Luigi Fragola Architects, was layered with hand-selected antiques and bespoke furnishings that were personal rather than curated for effect. Floors of Impruneta terracotta, bathrooms clad in green-veined Cipollino marble from Carrara, a stone fireplace that recalled the friars’ cells this building once housed, all pointed to the fact that this is a renaissance of a rare kind.
On the wall, there was a hand-painted fresco that seemed to have been around forever, though I later learned it was newly commissioned. The effect was precisely that: timeless, unhurried, and extraordinary.
The gardens alone would justify the journey. Spanning over 10,000 square metres of terraced hillside redesigned by Luca Ghezzi Garden Design, they unfold in a series of discoveries, such as a restored fountain here, a framed vista there, a 42-metre rose path designed for walking slowly while Florence spreads itself below. The gardens come to life with citrus trees in terracotta pots, iris beds honouring the city’s emblem, lavender and rosemary releasing themselves into the afternoon air.
The Renaissance concept of ‘otium’, which means leisure devoted to contemplation, has rarely felt so literal.
Dinner at Antesi, the Villa’s new gastronomic restaurant, was one of those rare meals one finds themselves thinking about for days afterwards. Executive Chef Alessandro Cozzolino takes his cue from the Greek anthesis, meaning the precise moment a flower opens, and every plate arrives at exactly that moment of readiness.
The Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlain occupies the first floor of the historic Franciscan convent, and stepping into it felt like stepping out of time entirely. Three treatment rooms, including a double suite, are dressed in natural textures and soft earthy tones, with hand-painted frescoes by Elena Carozzi lining the entrance corridor, foliage tumbling across the walls as though the Fiesolan garden outside had found its way in.
For those who want to go further into the city’s creative soul, the Masters of Savoir-Faire programme offers something that one will not find on any standard Florence itinerary. Guided by cultural insider Barbara Chiucini, each three-hour tour opens doors that remain firmly closed to the general public. Guests can find themselves first in the private library of a noble Florentine family, with 27,000 volumes, original maps, manuscripts, and a heraldic motto, “Altiora,” that seems applicable to the whole experience.
What stays with me, driving back down through the hills towards the city as the light turns gold, is not any single moment but the accumulation of them. Villa San Michele places you inside a version of Italy that still believes in the value of making things by hand, taking meals slowly, and letting a garden teach you something about time. A renaissance, yes. But also, somehow, the real thing.
www.belmond.com
