585 Best Hotels in Italy

The perfect place to play the part of a Florentine aristocrat is here at this 16th-century palazzo, which despite its massive halls and sweeping staircase could almost feel like home.

If you dream of waking up to head-on views of the Colosseum, book into this boutique hotel, which is set in a 17th-century palazzo built over the ruins of the Ludus Magnus, the gymnasium used by Roman gladiators, and offers refined luxury. An adjacent building has modern suites and the must-visit cocktail bar, The Court. The upscale rooftop restaurant Aroma rounds out the offerings.

Housed within a 16th-century palace, where renowned Florentine architect Bartolomeo Ammannati carved colossal statuary, the four spacious suites and three apartments with kitchenettes here offer a wonderful atmospheric alternative to regular hotel accommodation. Beyond the handsome courtyard there are cavernous rooms with some period furniture and historic artworks.

A central-yet-secreted location, an infinity pool below the cupola of Santa Maria Assunta, and a magical bougainvillea-draped patio garden are among the things that make the Murat much coveted by hotel bucket-listers. The courtyard (part orchard, part terrace) is one of the most drop-dead-gorgeous settings in Campania—a sublime area for dining alfresco at the Al Palazzo restaurant on dishes created by the accomplished chef. The old (18th-century) wing is Positano's grandest palazzo, once the summer residence of Joachim Murat, king of Naples, with massive limestone walls, carved rococo delicacies, and wrought-iron balconies swimming in pink flowers. The many-arched Mediterranean-style new wing has clean, tasteful mainly blue and white Vietri-tiled rooms with shady room terraces overlooking the gorgeous gardens, pool and Positano's limestone cliffs.

Exuding the charm of a bygone era, this palazzo has guest rooms featuring high ceilings and antique furnishings, as well as bathrooms decorated with hand-painted tiles. Many rooms also have hard-wood floors, and all have writing tables. In warm weather, enjoy your ample breakfast in the garden with a trickling fountain and fantastic views. In addition, a wine bar (at reception) offers fine wines by the glass, which can be enjoyed in one of the sitting rooms.

Originally a 17th-century convent for orphaned girls, Palazzo Ripetta is now a stylish hotel designed by Fausta Gaetani, featuring vibrant upholstery, abstract art, and colorful Murano glass fixtures. There is also a bistro in the ground-level courtyard, the San Baylon Ristorante & Cocktail Bar, and a spacious rooftop bar focused on wines.

A 17th-century palace in the historic center of Colle has rooms that exude warmth and comfort, with light-color wooden floors, soothingly tinted fabrics, and large windows. Among the many modern amenities are a wellness center and an indoor swimming pool.

The wood-beam ceilings, terra-cotta floors, and some of the original frescoes of a 19th-century town palace remain, but the marble bathrooms have all been updated, some with whirlpool tubs. A plentiful buffet breakfast is served on a patio to the rear of the hotel.

Just a few minutes' walk from the Castel Nuovo, Palazzo Turchini is one of the city center's more attractive smaller hotels. In a 17th-century building, it has an elegant design that incorporates several historical styles, as seen in the combination of marble floors and piperno stairs throughout. Guest rooms are small but soundproofed, and many have views over the roofs and domes of the old town.

Set in a historic building on the edge of Viterbo’s medieval district, Palazzo Ubertini has converted the stately space into 10 bright, modern rooms with small kitchenettes. The city sights are all within walking distance, and the hotel can arrange transfers to and from the nearby thermal spas if you are visiting without a car.

If you're looking for a swank setting, and the possibility of staying in for a meal (each room has a tiny kitchenette), look no further than this hotel which, while thoroughly modern, dates to the 15th century. It belonged to the powerful Vecchietti family, and you enter the hotel—after ringing the doorbell—through a 13th-century tower. The public room has a large, Renaissance fireplace and very high ceilings: the courtyard is open and looks all the way up.

Overlooking the Arch of Janus and offering glimpses of Palatine Hill, boutique Palazzo Velabro combines timeless architecture and contemporary design in a quiet corner of the neighborhood. Sleek, modern furniture and fittings are complimented by vintage photographs and amenities like Nespresso machines. Each suite comes with a kitchenette, a rarity in Rome. The lobby features ceiling murals inspired by the Tiber, while a rotating selection of contemporary art adorns the walls and books line the shelves. The hotel also offers free nightly screenings of classic Roman films in its cinema room and serves modern Italian meals at the on-site restaurant.

Home to several individual, purpose-built dammusi, Pantelleria Dream is set in its own grounds above Cala Levante and the Arco dell’Elefante. This is a really good midrange option, and prices in low season are incredible value for money, especially if you book well in advance. There is a big pool, well-tended gardens, a restaurant, and a bar. Rooms are simple but tasteful, with black tiled floors and white walls and bed linens, and each has its own terrace, traditionally roofed with canes.

A member of Marriott's Autograph Collection, this boutique hotel is a sleek retreat in the center of the action. The design is clean lined and modern, with amenities like smart TVs, minibars stocked with full-size bottles of wine, and smartphones you can use while exploring the city. The Michelin-starred restaurant, Idylio by Apreda, serves creative cuisine by one of Rome's most renowned chefs, Francesco Apreda (formerly of the Hassler), and the Divinity Terrace on the rooftop offers a relaxing spot for an aperitivo (aperitif) surrounded by the church domes and terra-cotta roofs of Rome.

Housed within the handsome Palazzo Rosso, the former residence of Ostuni's first mayor has been transformed from near dereliction to a stunning boutique hotel. Expect quirky artworks and design both ancient and modern throughout, from the Cuban-flavored bar and cozy lounges to a series of one-off guest rooms and outside area with a chic pool and intriguing corners.     

The 1960s-era facade of this large, seven-story hotel designed by Gio Ponti contrasts with the turn-of-the-20th-century Italian court decor and the extensive botanical garden outside, resulting in a combination of traditional elegance and contemporary pleasure. Windows in every room overlook an ocean of green, surmounted by St. Peter's dome. The hotel has wonderful indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a piano bar with stained glass and carved walnut appointments, a massive spa, and chamber music in the garden.

An exercise in Art Nouveau opulence, presiding over a large park in the middle of town, this elegant hotel features art-filled guest rooms, handsome public spaces, and an exceptional restaurant. The register is filled with the names of Europe's grand nobility, including Archduke Franz Ferdinand (whose murder in Sarajevo sparked World War I). The bar is popular with locals, especially for Jazz Fridays (held from October to May). Restaurant Laurin is superb, using only local ingredients and bringing a lighter sensibility to rustic regional dishes; ConTanima restaurant, in a glass house within the hotel gardens, serves up wonderfully creative cuisine.

Behind iron gates in one of the busiest parts of the city is this renowned Gothic-style villa with gardens and charmingly decorated accommodations with Venetian-style antique reproductions and fine tapestry. It all began in 1783, not as a hotel, but as the Russian embassy, and returned as the Russian consulate between the two world wars. When the Salmaso family turned it into a modest hotel in 1951, Russians continued to gravitate here—Josef Brodsky (winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1987) was a frequent guest—not to mention European film stars and even royalty. Common areas and guest rooms overlook either the picturesque Rio San Trovaso or the lush gardens. Inlaid designs or mosaics decorate marble- or ceramic-tiled baths.

In a calm location within easy walking distance of Modena's main tourist attractions, this hotel housed in an old palazzo has plenty of old-world character in the form of antique paintings, fancy plasterwork, and trompe l’oeil in the public rooms. Rooms are clean and come in varying sizes, and there is a terrace with tables and chairs and spacious gardens to relax in. The elegant restaurant La Secchia Rapita provides traditional local dishes and attentive service, while wide-ranging buffet breakfasts are served in the vaulted cellar.

Far from the madding crowds, Porto Roca is perched on the famous terraced cliffs right over the main beach, with large balconies to savor panoramic views of the magnificent sea. A good restaurant serving well-prepared Ligurian cuisine and a spectacular cliffside pool and solarium make up for the somewhat basic rooms. Book directly with the hotel to take advantage of a discount at the restaurant. There's a two- or three-night minimum stay in high season, and under-14s are not accommodated.

Just a block from the lake, on downtown Como's pedestrian-only Piazza Volta, this boutique hotel has a minimalist modern interior that's in perfect keeping with its exterior—the 1931 building that houses it was designed by Rationalist architect Giuseppe Terragni. All guest rooms have soothing gray color schemes, marble bathrooms, and flat-screen TVs; some also have piazza views (and soundproof windows). Although breakfast isn't included, you can grab a coffee and pastry in the attached bistro, a stylish spot that becomes a hip local hangout come evening. The terrace overlooking the square is a great place to relax.

Located beside the bus and parking space, and a short walk to Piazza Libertà, Primo is a sleek modern hotel, with great staff, whitewashed spaces and comfortable rooms with some interesting lighting and design throughout. Buffet breakfast is pretty decent with plenty of choices and is taken in the light-filled restaurant area.  

The focus at this famiglia Mellino–run hotel and Italian nouvelle restaurant is on both fine food and relaxation: the becalming Nerano environs and gorgeous rooms—all of them whitewashed with splashes of bold color and some of them with two-person whirlpool tubs—make it a pleasure to fall into bed. Dine indoors in the chic modern dining room with new open kitchen, on the big terrace in a lemon grove, or have a homemade limoncello in the brick-arched cantina stocked from fine vineyards north of Salerno. "A hop, skip, and a jump" is how the name translates colloquially—appropriately so, because it's in Nerano, a five-minute drive from Marina del Cantone, in the groves of the peninsula hillsides.

Some say Capri has three villages: Capri Town, Anacapri, and this landmark hotel, which looms large in island mythology, attracts utterly devoted guests, and has an enormous lobby and theater-cum-convention center that are 1930s jewels designed by noted modernist Gio Ponti. The "Quisi" also scores points for its restaurants, see-and-be-seen bars (plug into Capri's network of rich and famous at the Quisi Bar), and convenient location a short walk from the Piazzetta. The clientele is so loyal that even though this is Capri's biggest hotel, it's really hard to get a reservation in high season.

This updated historic palazzo maintains elements of its early 1900s grandeur: parquet floors, 13-foot ceilings, and porcelain stoneware tiles. Almost every room has its own balcony, and the hotel is full of art by Giancarlo Mustich. It's a very clean and enchanting little place to lay your head. The owner, Massimo Costantino, has relationships with everyone in the neighborhood and can arrange to have lunch or dinner brought into the hotel if you're a bit road weary and simply don't want to go out. 

Built in the early 1960s, and home to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton while they filmed Cleopatra, Ischia's largest luxury hotel is tucked away in an exclusive corner of the beach, where it pampers guests (some attending conventions) with its resort facilities and spa treatments. Rooms are ample and decorated in warm Mediterranean colors, and most have terraces or balconies, some with Jacuzzis, many overlooking the sea, others the hotel gardens. Don't miss the fun of socializing with chic vacationers in the elegant bar or at the Michelin-starred restaurant, Indaco—a meal here is worth it if only for the fabulous views over the harbor.

In a 15th-century palazzo on one of the city's oldest streets, Relais Giulia is a classic Roman Renaissance boutique hotel with sophisticated modern furnishings and fixtures. It's spread out over three floors and includes magnificently restored ancient frescoes, soaring original wood-beam ceilings and terra-cotta floors, flowing drapes, and romantic canopy beds. Amenities include whirlpool bathtubs, free Wi-Fi, iPads for guests to use at the reception, and flat-screen TVs.

This small hotel has reasonable rates considering its prime location—namely, a side street behind the lovely Via dei Coronari and right around the corner from Piazza Navona. The kitschy wallpaper prints wrapping the guest rooms are the notable cute factor in the otherwise standard lodgings.

Brothers Gigi and Paolo Zani transformed a castle and soldiers' barracks dating from the Middle Ages into a retreat just above the Città Alta. Original architectural features like stone arches and wooden beams are seen in many of the rooms, along with the castle fortification, which is incorporated into the terraced gardens and pergolas where guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and aperitifs during the spring and summer. Rooms are tastefully decorated in shades of gray and white and each has a unique modern work of art created by a Bergamo artist as well as vintage pieces—like a leather vaulting horse. Opt for one of the "relax" rooms, which has a soaking tub and shower, or a terrace room with views of the city below; there are also two rooms designed for families with sofas that become single beds. An on-site restaurant, Cucina, serves lunch, dinner, and tasting menus with a focus on meat and fish and Italian-influenced dishes with a contemporary flair. 

This 19th-century villa with a restaurant and 12 rooms sits on a hill above Licata, lending a lovely sea view. There are extensive views from the lounge, evocatively decorated with vintage wedding photos, a wind-up gramophone and antique piano, and long terraces perfect for evening cocktails. The grounds include a small pool, and the rooms are simple but tasteful. There is also a well-regarded restaurant, La Bottega.