Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, has reopened in Fiesole after an 18-month renovation that reshapes the former fifteenth-century Franciscan monastery for a new generation of guests. The property still overlooks Florence from its hillside setting, but rooms, wellness and dining have all been substantially reworked.
The renovation was led by Luigi Fragola Architects with Belmond’s design teams. Renaissance heritage remains visible through frescoes, marble, antiques and artworks rather than being stripped away in favour of a neutral resort aesthetic.
The hotel now has 39 reimagined rooms and suites
The accommodation combines Tuscan materials and historic references with contemporary comfort. Three signature suites — Limonaia, Grand Tour and Botanica — each use a different element of Florentine history and landscape as their design starting point.
This individual approach matters in a building with such a strong past. Uniform rooms would risk weakening the sense that guests are staying somewhere specific rather than in a luxury hotel that could be moved to another city.
Guerlain has created the hotel’s first spa
The Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlain occupies part of the former convent and uses treatments inspired by Renaissance and Florentine traditions. Wellness continues outdoors through terraced gardens, surrounding woodland and programmes including yoga, breathwork and sound healing.
The location above Florence gives those activities a different character from an urban spa. Guests can remain close to the city while spending part of the day in a quieter landscape with far more space and privacy.
Dining focuses on the Tuscan landscape
Executive Chef Alessandro Cozzolino has introduced a new culinary direction based on seasonal ingredients and Tuscan terroir. Antesi joins the hotel’s restaurants as a new fine-dining destination with views across the Florence skyline.
That relationship between food and landscape is especially important in Tuscany, where visitors often arrive with strong expectations around produce, wine and regional cooking. A luxury hotel has to offer refinement without making the cuisine feel disconnected from the place.
Fiesole makes a strong extension to a Mediterranean journey
Villa San Michele is inland, but it works naturally as part of a broader Italian itinerary that might include Liguria, Tuscany’s coast or a yacht stay farther south. Florence can provide an art and culture counterpoint to days spent around ports and islands.
For LYG readers, the reopened hotel offers exactly that change of rhythm. The draw is not simply the room or spa, but the ability to move from Mediterranean cruising into Renaissance architecture, gardens and Tuscan dining without losing the sense of considered luxury.
