"Housed in a 15th-century building, this five-star hotel truly feels like staying in a palace with a grand lobby that fuses Italian and Moroccan styles, featuring arched ceilings and doorways; I really like that the complimentary breakfast buffet is served in a historic room with a frescoed ceiling where Italian heads of Parliament used to meet. The elegant rooms have wood-beamed ceilings, parquet or terracotta floors, glass chandeliers, antique furnishings, and comfy beds with gilded headboards, and they’re spacious with minibars, flatscreen TVs, desks, and air conditioning. The huge marble bathrooms include a bidet, plush bathrobes and slippers, and a hairdryer, and for pure luxury in the heart of Florence this is the best pick — it’s about a five-minute walk to the Duomo." - Matthew Kepnes