585 Best Hotels in Italy

This simple budget hotel on the third floor of a 19th-century palazzo offers rock-bottom rates and is just a five-minute walk from the Vatican. You won't find frills, but you will find clean rooms with air-conditioning and free Wi-Fi. There's no bar, but there is a breakfast buffet and a vending machine that you can use 24 hours a day.

This large, modernist-style hillside hotel offers clean, functional rooms and many resort-style facilities, including restaurant, a tennis court, and even a shuttle bus into town. It sits on the lush grounds of a once rustic valley of water mills. 

Right by the port, the small and modern Hotel Aliai is Sciacca's best choice for anyone wishing to lodge in the lower town. Book one of the three rooms on the top floor; all have harbor views and their own terraces, though guests may have to stoop to avoid the low eaves in the attached bathrooms. Staff are friendly, parking is easy, and breakfast choices include freshly squeezed fruit juice and local pastries. Piazza Scandaliato can be reached in 10 minutes via steps.

You'll feel right at home from the moment you waltz into this hotel in a 19th-century art nouveau building, where high ceilings, elegant chandeliers, white walls, and marble floors lend both elegance and warmth—all just a few blocks from Termini station. Guest rooms are tastefully decorated, mixing antique furniture and contemporary design; fresh flowers are displayed throughout the hotel and on the terrace. There are slightly formal lounges and a cozy bar on the third-floor terrace.

Up a tiny side street not far from the Piazza Duomo, the unassuming Hotel Amalfi offers decent value in the heart of Amalfi; though rooms are standard and somewhat characterless, expect a friendly welcome and a roof terrace where you can breakfast in the warm morning sun.

If you're in Venice to see art, you can't beat the location of this hotel, where all the spacious rooms have brocade fabrics and Venetian-style lacquered furniture. A yellow plaster facade welcomes you, and a hall decorated with reproduction antiques and Oriental rugs leads to a breakfast room reminiscent of a theater foyer, with red velvet chairs and gilt wall lamps. The delightful roof terrace is a welcome oasis in summer, with a drink from the hotel's bar. Three adjacent apartments are also available.

Brightly colored fittings enliven the white-walled, hardwood-floor guest rooms—think minimalism with a splash—at this hotel on a quiet little piazza near the forbiddingly majestic Castello Estense. The nearby Prisciani, which is part of the Annunziata, has larger rooms and suites, making it a perfect place for families.

At this family-run hotel, the lobby's marble columns and ceramic tile make a lasting first impression, bright pastels make guest rooms feel comfortable and airy (despite the lack of views), and a citrus garden with sections of ancient city walls makes even the swimming pool feel classically elegant.

Once the home of Marino Faliero, a 14th-century doge who was executed for treason, this palazzo has been attentively "modernized" in elegant 18th-century Venetian style: all rooms are adorned with brocades, damask-tufted walls, gilt mirrors, and parquet floors—even the breakfast room has a stuccoed ceiling and Murano chandelier. Some guest rooms have baldacchini (canopied beds) and courtyard views; the suite and two superior rooms have canal views. The location, on the main thoroughfare from the station to San Marco, is handy but can stay quite lively well into the night, especially during festivals. An ample buffet breakfast is served.

Dominating the entrance to the Riva Destra, Ischia's restaurant strip overlooking the port, this is the closest decent hotel to the arriving hydrofoils. The 1970s facade may put you off, and the rooms are nothing special, but the roof garden with its heated swimming pool is where most guests spend their time.

This tastefully modernized 18th-century farmhouse just outside Asolo retains exposed stone, brick, and wooden joists creating a calming rural ambience in its spacious public areas, simply furnished rooms, and handsome guesthouse. You can relax with a glass in the comfy lobby bar and immaculate grounds or work up a sweat in the small but well-equipped gym.

The rooftop garden terrace with a center-stage view of St. Peter's Basilica is just one reason to stay here; proximity to the Vatican and superb shopping is another. This family-run hotel is set in a distinguished 19th-century building and has a classic atmosphere, with most guest rooms renovated with a modern style. The restaurant, Les Étoiles, serves sophisticated Italian dishes like tagliolini pasta with crab, basil, and tomatoes. A sister hotel, the Atlante Garden, just around the corner, has larger rooms at slightly lower rates.

This well-run little hotel is a good deal for those who prefer absorbing rays on the beach to hiking the highlands; ask for a room with a sea view and private terrace. The Aurora is on the Spiaggia delle Sirene near the fishing harbor, amid a greenery-filled setting. It's a flat and easy 10-minute walk from the Duomo, but crowds rarely venture to this nook.

In the courtyard of a building on the Mergellina waterfront, this hotel is handy if you're coming or going from the Mergellina pier. On the other hand, perhaps this is why some guests have said they suffer from cabin fever after just a few nights—the constant presence of boats and the portholelike windows might make you think you're on board a ship. The spic-and-span rooms are—no surprise—done in a nautical motif.

This elegant four-star hotel, housed in a 19th-century palazzo near Piazza Barberini, has old-world luxury and charm and is an easy distance from the Metro, the Trevi Fountain, and sophisticated Via Veneto. The rooms here are a bit small but offer good value given the prime location, particularly for those who want a single room. The breakfast buffet on the rooftop is fresh, delicious, and generous. The hotel also has a delightful in-house spa where you can recover after a long day of sightseeing.

Originally a 19th-century villa belonging to Marchesa Guendalina Strozzi—her ancestors were powerful bankers in Renaissance Florence—this is now a contemporary inn. Some of the public rooms have a quaint historical charm to them, but the guest rooms have more contemporary decor, with basic wooden furniture and no frills. Ask for one of the eight with a whirlpool tub. In winter, you can use this as a base to ski to the slopes; in summer, the Bellavista is perfectly situated for trekking and mountain biking.

True to its name (which means "beautiful view"), the best rooms in this sunny Liberty-style building face the bay of Portovenere, with lovely vistas of Palmaria Island and the Gulf of Poets. Several indoor and outdoor dining and sitting areas also face the port. The simply furnished guest rooms are not luxurious, but they don't break the bank, either.

In Italian, belvedere means "beautiful view," and it's an apt name for this enchanting spot, where the modern rooms have classic touches such as antique furniture, decorative tiles, and marble bathrooms. The hotel has been in the Martinelli-Manoni family since 1880, and the unbroken tradition of service makes it some of the best lodging in town. Terraced gardens, a lovely pool, and a spa have replaced the vineyards that once surrounded the house.

Set in a grande-dame villa—featuring salons top-heavy with overstuffed sofas, a ravishing seawater-pool area, and a rocky beach—the tranquil Belvedere is equidistant from Conca dei Marini's lagoon and Saracen Tower and can arrange shuttle service for trips to Amalfi. The decor may be dated, but then this is the sort of place where guests ask for the room their great-grandparents favored. Happily, everyone, not just regulars, is treated like family here, and you'll find it difficult to say goodbye to the remarkably friendly and helpful staff.

Just inside the city walls and close to the Palazzo Ducale, this hotel has pleasant, if worn, rooms decorated with a smattering of antiques; those in front also have views of the valley below Urbino. A terrace in the tranquil garden to the rear of the hotel adjoins the cozy breakfast room and bar.

One of Europe's gracious 19th-century grand hotels, the Bristol Palace guards its reputation for courtesy, service, and elegance, offering mostly spacious, handsomely furnished, high-ceilinged guest rooms and lovely public spaces. Some of the rooms have original multicolor inlaid marble floors and other period details. Surrounding the hotel's central oval staircase, the welcoming salons set the tone: they are comfortable, small, and pleasantly discreet, with paneled walls and soft lighting. Booking online can result in great deals.

Above the Spiaggia Grande, a fisherman’s tavern later converted into a guesthouse—where some of the airy guest rooms have sea views and others overlook the majolica dome of Santa Maria Assunta—has long held center stage, as evidenced by the photos of glitterati guests (Steinbeck, Hemingway, Jackie Kennedy) that line the walls. Spacious upper floor rooms with terraces are worth seeking out. The breakfast and dining terrace is a wonderful sunny spot for eating and gazing at the views, while the restaurant features such specialties as homemade scialatielli ai frutti di mare and gambaretti alla Clark (named after the American general who docked here during World War II and promptly requested a prawn cocktail). There's no pool, but who needs one this close to the beach?

"All rooms with a view" touts this pensione (modest lodging)-turned-four-star-hotel—and the views are indeed expansive: from the hotel's waterfront location near lively Via Garibaldi, your windows swing open to a panorama that sweeps from the Lido across the basin to San Giorgio and San Marco; upper-floor vistas are particularly inspiring. Decor could be termed "understated maritime," meaning deep mahogany wood tones, brass accents, and nautical appliqué abound, from railings to reading lamps to hallway lighting. Enjoy breakfast, a sunset aperitivo, or a nightcap on the quayside terrace.

Public areas in this hotel near the train station are decorated with contemporary paintings by the hotel's owner, and the well-kept guest rooms have sound-resistant windows. Prompt service helps make Buonconsiglio especially good for business travelers.

On the edge of town, overlooking a small beach at the western end of the harbor, this small and chic hotel stands a little apart from the quayside activity, and is all the better for it. The harborfront bars and restaurants are seconds away, yet peace and quiet reign here. The three rooms with balconies at the front are the best choices as other rooms on the side have balconies and partial sea views but face hilly scenery frontwards. The waterfront terrace is a great spot for breakfast, for whiling away an afternoon, or for an evening aperitivo. In summer, a free shuttle service to a nearby beach is available.

This handsome, ivy-draped hotel is a romantic refuge in the heart of Campo de' Fiori. The hotel's colorful, elegant furnishings, frescoes, and exposed brick make it unique, as do the riveting views from the rooftop terrace. Cozy up to the fireplace in the hotel lobby, always crackling on cold nights and during the wintery months. In addition to the guest rooms, the hotel also offers apartments in the area that can accommodate two to five guests.

Conveniently near the train station, this boutique hotel couples 18th-century elegance with modern amenities; the decoration, inspired by Venetian style, includes lush damasks, gold-framed mirrors, and plenty of Murano glass and Rezzonico-style floors. Even if you don't splurge for a room facing the Grand Canal, ask for a room with a view and avoid the annex. The breakfast room with its red-velvet chairs overlooks the Grand Canal. Guests can enjoy a drink on the scenic, albeit small, terrace.

In the heart of Trastevere and across the Tiber from the main synagogue in the Jewish Ghetto is Rome's only kosher hotel, a friendly and budget-friendly place to stay. Staffers are eager to please and can even arrange prepared kosher meals if requested in advance. Rooms are basic and two rooms have a shared bath, so be sure to inquire when booking.

Overlooking the volcanic crater of Lake Albano and a minute's walk from the Apostolic Palace, this intimate hotel in the heart of Castel Gandolfo is a romantic retreat. Rooms are basic, bright, uncluttered, and soundproofed, and they're equipped with air-conditioning, satellite TV, Wi-Fi, and minibars. Bathrooms have either a whirlpool tub or hydromassage showers.  Ask for a room with a view of the lake and the Castelli hills beyond.

At this hotel near the Colosseum, each of the small guest rooms is named after a famous Italian painter (Tiziano, Cellini, Michelangelo) and features decor that evokes the work of its namesake. All are sumptuously frescoed and have French windows and marble-tiled bathrooms (some with Jacuzzis). The hotel is on the romantic Celian Hill, just a stroll from the Santi Quattro Coronati Church and the Villa Celimontana Park. Other perks include the rooftop terrace, where breakfast is served in warmer months, and a fitness center.