An Italian Homecoming
alice franklin checks into Florence’s newly refurbished Hotel Savoy, and tells you why you should too
When it comes to city hotels, location is everything. At the Hotel Savoy – the Florentine grande dame of the family-run Rocco Forte Hotels group – the best of one Italy’s most magical cities lies at your doorstep. Slip through its gilded entrance and you’ll find yourself at the threshold of the Uffizi Gallery, the Ponte Vecchio and the majestic Duomo within a matter of minutes. Beyond the obvious tourism favourites – which, incidentally, really are worth visiting – market stalls, intimate espresso bars and sweeping piazzas stand cheek by jowl at all sides. So, when it comes to location, this is one city hotel that takes some beating.
If I sound overly adoring it’s because I’ve fallen had to this little house of Italian luxury
Earlier this year, the historic Savoy – built in 1893, it’s been a jewel on Florence’s Piazza della Repubblica for 125 years – reopened after an extensive renovation. Over a six-month period, the number of rooms was reduced from 102 to 80 and the Rocco Forte group’s Director of Design Olga Polizzi injected into the overall aesthetic of the prestigious space a modern energy that’s tinged with traditional Renaissance touches. So, in a city filled with hotels, what’s the Savoy difference? In truth, it’s a hundred small things. The suites, for starters. Capacious, bright and airy, every detail is considered and fine-tuned to make your stay as effortlessly luxurious and relaxing as possible. Soothing light wood flooring in each room; antique Italian books on your dressing table; window sills so deep you won’t be able to resist hopping on them to watch the city come to life each morning, as you sip your first coffee. Downstairs from the lobby lies an expansive gym that puts most others in Florence to shame. The lobby itself is totally unique, a narrow space that manages to feel impressive thanks to a 5-metre-high corniced ceiling, distinctive busts around every corner and splashes of fantastic colour (courtesy of Polizzi’s collaboration with luxury Italian powerhouse Pucci). Then there are the doormen, waiters and concierge team, who remember your name from the moment you check in (handily, they also remember your preferred aperitif each evening and your favourite table for breakfast). While it’s said all too often in relation to undeserving retreats, the Savoy is not simply a hotel, it’s a home away from home. It’s no small feat in a city as spectacular as Florence genuinely to want a day to end, so that you can head back to your hotel, but the Savoy manages to do just that. More than once we were tempted back to the small seating terrace on the edge of the Piazza della Repubblica, to while away the last minutes of dusk with a glass of champagne or a classic Negroni. There’s nowhere quite like Florence for people watching, and this flower-enclosed appendage to the hotel’s Irene restaurant is the best spot in which to do it. One of the great joys of the original buildings in Europe’s best cities is their innate character. Fortunately, the recent renovation at the Savoy has done little to diminish it. A sweeping central staircase means that – should you wish – there’s no reason to wait for the single lift available to head up or down to the five floors of rooms and suites, as slowly making your way upstairs on foot is a pleasure in itself, stopping to inspect the artworks on the walls as you go. If I sound overly adoring, it’s because I’ve fallen hard for this little house of Italian luxury. It’s not often that everything comes together – design, comfort, service, dining – without it seeming contrived or disingenuous. At the Savoy, you arrive and slip straight in. Without fuss, or pretension – and yet with a feeling that you actually matter. It’s no mean feat and a challenge more hotels should choose to take on, though I suspect most would fall short. Our stay is perfectly summed up on the final morning. Finishing breakfast, checkout done in 60 painless seconds and we request a cab in 10 minutes for the short journey to the airport. At this time, it’s clear that something’s happening in the Piazza della Repubblica. Tyres screech as cars race by, cameras whizzing overhead on cranes, film extras appear as if from nowhere. A production crew is redirecting members of the public as roads and pavements close. Chaos reigns. It soon becomes clear there are no taxis. And yet, with a couple of queries our anxiety dissipates – the doorman at the Savoy is not to be trifled with. He’s on his phone, he’s up and down the abandoned street, he’s quelling our fears of missed flight connections with a wave of his hand and an easy charm. And, soon enough, a taxi shows up, is waved through the barriers by the local polizia and comes to a stop by our side. Our luggage is picked up and stowed, and we’re wished a safe and pleasant journey home. It seems even a Michael Bay film can’t stop the Savoy doing what it does best.