Collegio alla Querce occupies a 16th-century villa on a quiet hill above Florence that, from 1868, served for more than a century as a college run by the Barnabite Fathers. Auberge Collection opened it in 2025 as its first hotel in Italy, for owner Analjit Singh, founder of Leeu Collection. The Spanish practice Esteva i Esteva led the architecture and Florentine studio ArchFlorence the interiors, keeping the frescoes and coffered wooden ceilings and turning old classrooms into roomy suites with stone-lined bathrooms. The chapel and theatre survive, and the principal's former office is now Bar Bertelli, a cocktail and cigar lounge. Terraced gardens by Franchesca Watson, restored across four levels under olives and oaks, look out to the Duomo and the Tuscan hills, with a seasonal outdoor pool and the Aelia spa, which works with Furtuna Skin. La Gamella is the main restaurant, the Conservatorio serves lighter food through the day and Il Bosco sits beside the pool in summer. A free shuttle reaches Piazza della Santissima Annunziata in about 15 minutes. There are 83 rooms, 34 of them suites, plus a signature penthouse.
- Nearest airport
- Florence Peretola (FLR), 4 Miles / 6 Kilometres, about 15 minutes by car
- Rooms
- 83 rooms, including 34 suites
Insider tip Ask the hotel to arrange a private visit to one of Florence's fashion ateliers, or an after-hours tour of the Accademia and the Duomo.
Why I choose it A Renaissance villa turned college above Florence, with the Duomo framed by its gardens and three Keys in its first full year.