Welcome to Checking In, a review series in which our editors and contributors rate the best luxury hotels based on a rigorous—and occasionally tongue-in-cheek—10-point system: Each question answered “yes” gets one point. Will room service bring you caviar? Does your suite have its own butler? Does the bathroom have a bidet? Find out below.
Describe the hotel in three words: Tranquil. Opulent. Arty.
What’s the deal?
Sometimes, the best hotels in the city are just outside of it. Case in point: Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Collection. This spacious gem, set a corkscrew thoroughfare away from Florence’s tourist hub, sits above the Le Cure neighbourhood in the city’s north—but is within easy reach of the Uffizi Galleries, the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and the other box-tick imperatives. In other words, it’s the crowd-averse Florence visitor’s default choice.
Part of the Auberge Collection, and set within a 16th-century property, Collegio alla Querce (as the name implies) has spent most of its life as an elite boarding school. It opened in March after a four-year revamp which was an exercise in conservation, restoration, and renovation all in one: always a tricky path to negotiate, especially in ancient, storied metropolises. Original frescoes and coffered wood ceilings have been not just preserved but replenished, for example, likewise the chapel and theatre, which helps retain the building’s scholarly ambience, while sensitive structural upgrades were applied to many of the vast public spaces. Esteva i Esteva, a Spanish father-son architectural firm, executed the makeover, with interiors—a kind of slick, pristine spin on the rustic Tuscan aesthetic, with hues which echo those very surrounds—carried out by local Florentine studio ArchFlorence. Essentially, though, ArchFlorence’s task has been to provide a suitably unobtrusive backdrop for the owner Analjit Singh’s penchant for modern art.
Wander through the vast lumen-bathed conservatory—essentially an open courtyard, encased in glass during the makeover—and other public areas and you’ll find enough contemporary pieces to fill an Assouline tome you could stop a bullet with, the vast majority South African in origin and curated by Everard Read. Deborah Bell’s large-scale bronze sculptures and drypoint etchings, Guy du Toit’s hare sculptures, and Gerhard Marx’s mischievous works with maps are worth seeking out, but that barely scratches the surface. The South African-Tuscan dichotomy continues outside, where terraced, cypress-dotted gardens have been designed by acclaimed Cape Town-based landscape designer Franchesca Watson.
The best room?
There are 83, all bathed in abundant light, and all boasting splendid views, either of Florence, or the Tuscan landscape. Parquet wood floors, standalone baths, ceramics by Studio Ceramica Giusti, and custom furniture made by Milan-based Paolo Castelli mingle elegantly with hand-painted wallpaper depicting the much-vaunted surrounding countryside.
As for the choice keys, the Santa Maria del Fiore Suite, with its heritage-rich interiors, hand-painted walls, and eye-catching artworks, is surely one of Italy’s most sybaritic hospitality hideouts. Collegio alla Querce’s ultimate eyebrow-hiker, though, is the Penthouse La Quercia: 213 square metres of opulence, with a 100-square-metre rooftop terrace, private wine cellar curated with wine by Piedmont Barbaresco and Barolo specialists Gaja, and king-size wrought-iron canopy bed with views over Florence.
Did they greet you by name at check-in?
Yes—my entire family, impressively—and our opening interactions became an hour of cordial conversations with various staff members talking us through the hotel, the renovation, and the locale.
Was a welcome drink ready and waiting when you arrived?
We were offered a glass of something cold and fizzy by Franciacorta-based maker Bellavista, but this being 9 am, opted for a zero-proof cocktail made with Seedlip Grove—a citrus-based distilled spirit, with sugar syrup, citric acid, and ginger beer. A sweet buffet also awaited us in our vast suite, the centrepiece of which was a traditional, orange-scented sponge cake with a Florentine lily or giglio, depicted on it in icing. Sweet, in more ways than one.
Private butler for every room?
It would be unconventional at a hotel of this ilk. Besides, we could dish out bonus points aplenty for an approach to service here, which is attentive but never cloying. If you like staff to anticipate and attend to your every whim, but ultimately treat you like a friend (and go that extra mile to make special things happen—see below under the question about the swimming pool) then this is a home away from home for you.
Is the sheet thread count higher than 300?
Yes. Rivolta & Carmignani are the producers of the double-twisted cotton linens, crafted to combine softness, durability, and refined comfort, as well as duvets and large pillows. The smaller pillows and mattresses are supplied by Dorelan, an Italian company renowned for its ergonomic design and superior shuteye.
Is there a heated floor in the bathroom? What about a bidet?
Only by the balmy Florentine climate, when it comes to the former. And no—that curious receptacle invented in France in the late 17th century is also absent. But it would be beyond stingy to dock points, given that the room does have a walk-in closet. And a powder room. And views of the Duomo. And a general calming ambience that is the perfect foil for a day in Florence’s hectic tourist hub. And tasty premixed bottles of Negronis, as well as moreish truffle chips, in the minibar.
Are the toiletries full-sized?
Yes indeed, courtesy of Italian supplier of skincare and haircare ablution treats to the luxury hospitality industry, La Bottega.
Is there a private pool for the room’s exclusive use? How are the spa and gym?
That’d be unusual in an urban-ish bolthole like this, but a bonus point is deserved for the fact that the pool—Florence’s largest outdoor one at 35 metres, having been converted into an ice rink during our visit as part of Collegio alla Querce’s Winter Wonderland celebrations—was given over to my two daughters for the first hour of its opening.
Over at the Aelia spa, plunge pools and steam showers are on offer, as well as treatments which involve—over to the hotel—“nourishing infusions sourced from organic gardens and olive groves.” Yup, olive oil massages. Collegio alla Querce is also a pioneer when it comes to a new emerging trend in luxury travel: spa and wellness experiences becoming child- and family-friendly. Yoga classes specially designed for kids aged five to 12 are on offer, and a Tibetan-style sound-bath workshop can—and did, in our case—involve the whole family.
Is the restaurant worth its salt?
Yes. The hearty fare at La Gamella sees Tuscan culinary traditions merged with head chef Nicola Zamperetti’s favoured Sicilian cuisine. The results—from the charcoal-grilled yet succulent rock octopus with Tuscan bean cream to Mediterranean bluefin tuna tartare—are delectable during our visit. The same congenial space is the site of an afternoon tea experience, as well as the daily epicurean bonanza that is the breakfast buffet table.
In the summer, Café Focolare and pool bar is where to wash down crudos, paninos, and pizzas with aperitif-style cocktails or, for non-daytime drinkers, sparkling juices.
Do you want to spend Friday night in the lobby bar?
Of the two bars, one is where you call in for pre-prandials between a 20-minute saunter through the vast Conservatorio—effectively an art gallery—and La Gamella.
The other, and the grander of the two, is Bar Bertelli. It used to be the headmaster’s office, and now boasts a cocktail menu based on history and geography textbooks found during renovation. A Canestrini, for example, contains Ginarte (a dry gin distilled in Italy from wild juniper berries), Mancino Secco (a clear, dry Italian vermouth), and cherry yoghurt, and celebrates an Italian biologist and champion of Charles Darwin’s, Giovanni Canestrini (it “evolves with every sip,” quips the menu). Rare premium whiskies from around the world, including India, feature heavily elsewhere.
Would you buy the hotel if you could?
Ownership of such a storied, deftly renovated property would be tempting, but with Collegio alla Querce having only been acquired—for an undisclosed fee—by Leeu Collection (the Indian hospitality company founded by Singh) in 2017, and the revamp only completed this year, purchase seems unrealistic for now. Besides, accumulating an art collection as worthy of filling it as the currently one would take decades…
Score: 9.5
What Our Score Means:
1–3: Fire your travel agent if they suggest you stay here.
4–6: Solid if you’re in a pinch—but only if you’re in a pinch.
7–8: Very good. We’d stay here again and recommend it without qualms.
9–10: Forget booking a week. When can we move in permanently?
All images courtesy of Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Collection.
