Best luxury and boutique hotels, B&Bs in Italy

Featured hotels

Albergo Al Sole

Asolo

Once a bolt hole for wealthy Venetians escaping the summer heat (plus Robert Browning, Freya Stark, Igor Stravinsky et al.), this charming little medieval hill town in the Veneto is known as ‘the town of a hundred horizons’.

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Villa Le Barone

Panzano-in-chianti

This small Tuscan hilltop hotel, much loved by Guide readers over many years, has been owned by the famous Della Robbia family since the 16th century.

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Castel Pergine

Pergine Valsugana

Above a small town (once a Roman settlement) east of Trento, this medieval castle stands in large wooded grounds: ‘a marvellous setting’.

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Villa Ducale

Taormina

‘Our favourite small hotel in the world,’ said one GHG reader after his fourth visit. ‘Its position, above the town, gives it the feel of a private hideaway.

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Albergo Bad Dreikirchen

Barbiano

High above the Isarco valley between Bressanone and Bolzano, this hamlet consists of le tre chiese, three curious little attached medieval churches and this unspoilt 14th-century chalet, now a modest hotel.

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La Calcina

Venice

John Ruskin stayed in this pensione on the Dorsoduro in 1877. Now owned by Marc Sibuet and Regina Segre Amar, who promise ‘discreet service and peace’, it faces the Giudecca canal.

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Villa Carlotta

Taormina

A stone-clad 19th-century nobleman’s residence, modelled on a 14th century fortress, Villa Carlotta, perches high on a cliff above the Ionian Sea, with stunning panoramic views…

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Hotel Sonnenhof

Kuens

‘It remains a gem, loved by all who visit it’ said the original nominators of the Schrott family’s chalet-style hotel, in the ‘very beautiful’ Passeier / Passiria valley

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Hotel Flora, Venice

‘Quiet, even by local standards’, the Romanelli family’s B&B hotel has long been loved by Guide readers.

Luna Convento, Amalfi

Run for many years as a hotel by the Barbaro family, this former medieval convent, founded by St Francis of Assisi in 1222, has long been popular with Guide readers.

Hotel Villa Cipriani, Asolo

In a small town in the foothills of the Dolomites (excellent for visiting the Palladian villas) stands this ‘wonderful’ hotel.

Loggiato dei Serviti, Florence

Much loved by Guide readers, Rodolfo Gattai’s B&B is in ‘one of Florence’s loveliest squares’, ‘easily reached from all directions.’

Hotel Tornabuoni Beacci, Florence

‘Excellently located’, this ‘beautifully kept’ B&B hotel has been run for many years by its owners, the Bechi family.

Hotel Montecristo, Marina Di Campo

On the corner of the tiny square of this small, unspoilt Tuscan town stands Anne-Marie and Ueli Bleuler-Staerkle’s hotel; from the back it commands a ‘tremendous" data-type-editor="" data-type-status="false" >

Villa Sangiovese, Panzano-in-chianti

On the corner of the tiny square of this small, unspoilt Tuscan town stands Anne-Marie and Ueli Bleuler-Staerkle’s hotel; from the back it commands a ‘tremendous view of distant hills and mountains’.

La Residenza, Rome

‘A real bargain for Rome’, ‘superbly located’, this old-established B&B hotel is just off Via Veneto, not far from the Borghese Gardens.

Pensione Accademia – Villa Maravege, Venice

A 17th-century villa which was the Russian consulate when Venice was an independent republic, this well-known pensione has a ‘super position’ by a side canal, near the Grand Canal at the Accademia bridge.

Hotel Lord Byron, Rome

On the north side of the Borghese Gardens, this luxury hotel is decorated in Art Deco style, with jewel tones, period details and floor-length curtains.

Hotel Portoghesi, Rome

‘One of the best hotels (for the price) that we have stayed in,’ says a visitor. The Sagnotti family’s palazzo,a hotel for over 150 years, is within walking distance of most of the main attractions.

Belmond Hotel Caruso, Ravello

The highlight of this 11th-century restored palace is the infinity pool – heated to a warm temperature year-round, and located at the highest point in Ravello, it has incredible views of the Amalfi coast.

Villa Belvedere, Florence

With ‘stunning views’ over Florence and the surrounding hills, this family friendly hotel ‘couldn’t be faulted’ by a visitor.

Hotel Santa Caterina, Amalfi

This hotel, set in an art deco villa on Amalfi drive, offers a genteel, old-fashioned charm, and has been in the same family since it opened as a hotel with six rooms in 1904.

Teatro di Pompeo, Rome

You can see the remains of Pompey’s theatre (55BC) in the breakfast room/bar of this small hotel run by the Cavarocchi-Mignoni family.

Pensione Bencista, Fiesole

Hotel Bad Ratzes, Siusi Allo Sciliar

Liked for its welcome, ‘quietly efficient staff’ and ‘excellent value for money’, this chalet-style hotel is in a ‘very beautiful’ skiing and summer resort in the South Tyrol nature reserve, at the foot of the Dolomites.

Palazzo Murat, Positano

Built in 1808 by the King of Naples (who was married to Napoleon’s sister) as a summer residence, this townhouse hotel is located in the centre of Positano.

Le Sirenuse, Positano

The Sersale family’s summer home was turned into this spectacular hotel in 1951, and is still run by descendants of the original brothers.

Londra Palace, Venice

The proud boast of this opulent hotel is that it has a hundred windows facing the lagoon.

Hotel Hermitage, Florence

Overlooking the Arno, between the Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi, this ‘very peaceful’ B&B hotel has ‘marvellous views of the duomo’.

Hotel Monna Lisa, Florence

In the city centre, this Renaissance palace is now a ‘beautiful and gracious’ hotel with ‘stunning’ lounges filled with antiques and art treasures, and neo-classical drawings and sculpture by Giovanni Duprè, an ancestor of the present owners.

Locanda Miranda, Tellaro Di Lerici

On a cliff-top road outside an old fishing village just south of the Cinque Terre, this restaurant-with-rooms is run by its “very helpful owners”, chef Angelo Cabani and his wife, Giovanna.

Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi, Camogli

‘We cannot think of a nicer, better-run seaside hotel,’ says a devotee of this large hotel, built on the site of a villa once owned by the aristocratic Dogi family.

Villa Sarah, Capri

Once the summertime day-trippers have left, Capri becomes a different place: it has ‘charm, beauty, many fabulous sights’.

Punta Rossa, San Felice Circeo

In a remote setting on an ‘amazing cliffside’, this resort complex includes a hotel and a ‘fishermen’s village’ (apartments), in a large botanical park on the coast between Naples and Rome.

Hotel Barocco, Rome

‘Well located’, at the foot of Via Veneto, this historic building is within easy walking distance of the sights of ancient Rome, ‘and the classy shopping streets’.

Romantik Hotel Villa Cheta Elite, Acquafredda Di Maratea

In this ‘old-fashioned summer resort’ on the dramatic north Tyrrhenian coast, this 18th-century ‘Liberty-style’ building stands in lush grounds.

Romantik Hotel Villa Pagoda, Nervi

Hotel Scalinata di Spagna, Rome

The location of this quaint and charming hotel could not be bettered – right next to the Spanish Steps.

Ca’ Pisani Hotel, Venice

In a relatively quiet part of the city, by the Accademia, this 14th-century palazzo is part of the Design Hotels group.

Villa Cimbrone, Ravello

You need to be fit to stay at Villa Cimbrone. If you can”t afford to arrive by helicopter, you approach by a 15-minute uphill walk through the pedestrian zone on Ravello”s steep hillside (your luggage travels in a small truck).

Villa Brunella, Capri

A bit of a walk from Capri’s small main square, Piazza Umberto, in a pleasant residential area, this small modern villa is ‘stylish, efficient and vertiginous’, says a visitor this year.

Chalet Portillo, Selva Di Val Gardena

On the edge of this Dolomite resort (Wolkenstein in Gröden in German) at the foot of the impressive Sella massif, this ‘superb hotel’, renovated last in 2013, is run by its owner, Carlo Senoner (a skiing world champion at Portillo, Chile, 1966), with his wife, son and daughter.

Villa Abbazia, Follina

Owned by the ‘hands-on’ Zanon De Marchi family, this ‘wonderful’ hotel (Relais & Chateaux) is in a village in the foothills of the Dolomites, amid the vineyards of Prosecco.

Villa Las Tronas, Alghero

Until the 1940s a holiday home of the Italian royal family, this rectangular pink 19th-century villa retains a ‘charming air of gently fading elegance’, says its nominator.

Villa della Pergola, Alassio

A former haunt of English noblemen, this B&B is a conversion of two pink colonial-style villas once owned by Sir Daniel Hanbury.

Romantik Hotel Villa Novecento, Courmayeur

The Cavaliere family’s hotel is in the heart of the Italian Alps, and overlooks Mount Blanc. It’s a reconstruction of a 20th-century alpine villa – every room is named after a year – and is old-fashioned in feel, with antique furniture, polished floors and period paintings

Hotel Due Torri, Rome

‘Near Piazza Navona and within walking distance of all the sights (we didn’t use a taxi the whole time we were in Rome), this centrally located hotel is on a quiet little street and I could sleep at night with my window open,’ writes a visitor.

Albergo Pietrasanta, Pietrasanta

This small town (famous for its marble sculptures), with wooded hills behind and sea stretching out in front, is a 30-minute train ride north of Lucca.

Hilltop villas, castles, B&Bs, boutique hotels, palazzi

Some people visit Italy in order to explore its history through its museums and ancient ruins; others spend weeks taking in the splendid art. Or you may wish to centre your trip around the fantastic regional food and wine on offer, or just relax on a beach. For others the splendour of cities such as Verona and Venice brings them back again and again.

Whatever your reason, when it comes to planning your holiday you will find we have a great selection of independently reviewed hotels to choose from. We hope readers will nominate their favourites too; the more feedback we get from you our readers, the more reliable and comprehensive our selection will be.

We like this tribute from the owner of Il Castello, Certaldo Alto, near Florence: “I am happy we are in the Guide. What I appreciate most is the kind of guests the Guide directs to our hotel. Very nice persons that look exactly for what we can offer.”

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Featured hotels

Hotels in Italy

Albergo Al Sole

Asolo

Villa Le Barone

Panzano-in-chianti

Castel Pergine

Pergine Valsugana

Villa Ducale

Taormina

Albergo Bad Dreikirchen

Barbiano

La Calcina

Venice

Villa Carlotta

Taormina

Hotel Sonnenhof

Kuens

More hotels in Italy

Hotels in Italy

Hilltop villas, castles, B&Bs, boutique hotels, palazzi

JOIN THE GHG

BUY THE 46th EDITION OF THE GUIDE

Best Review Wins A Free Night for Two!

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Featured hotels

Hotels in Italy

Albergo Al Sole

Asolo

Villa Le Barone

Panzano-in-chianti

Castel Pergine

Pergine Valsugana

Villa Ducale

Taormina

Albergo Bad Dreikirchen

Barbiano

La Calcina

Venice

Villa Carlotta

Taormina

Hotel Sonnenhof

Kuens

More hotels in Italy

Hotels in Italy

Hilltop villas, castles, B&Bs, boutique hotels, palazzi

JOIN THE GHG

BUY THE 46th EDITION OF THE GUIDE

Best Review Wins A Free Night for Two!

Related Pages

Nearby pages

Add to Homescreen?