781 Best Hotels in Italy

Though it's just 15 minutes from the Accademia and Michelangelo's David, this hotel—in a 19th-century mansion adorned with rich fabrics and period-appropriate furnishings—is a true retreat from the city's noise and crowds. The restaurant here is equally sophisticated, and the Piazza d'Azeglio, a small public park across the street, also evokes 19th-century Europe.

Close to the port and the main downtown sights, this large, modern hotel attracts both vacationers and businesspeople with a quiet, friendly ambience and spacious, sober rooms. Breakfast choices include local pastries, fresh fruit, and cooked options, and there’s a handy lounge-bar and a popular restaurant. The internal garage is a rarity in Cagliari.

Nestled in an old building just a stone's throw from the main civic square (Piazza Signoria), this charming little boutique hotel offers peace and elegance. Many of the rooms have 18th-century frescoes on their ceilings, and all have hydromassage showers (some have a steam room). You can enjoy an aperitivo from the bar, and sip it in a comfortable sitting room.

Horseback trail rides through Tuscany's cowboy country are an integral part of the experience at this family-run country inn, where your hosts can arrange picnics, suggest itineraries, and organize weeklong tours. But nonriders don't have to mope at the bar—this agriturismo also has a pool and idyllic views. Rooms are plainly decorated with modern wooden wardrobes and desks; most are carpeted; some are enlivened by wood-beam ceilings.

Convenient to Rio Marina's charming town center and gravel beach, this comfortable hotel has pretty sea views, especially from one of the five rooms that have terraces facing the sea. Use of beach chairs and umbrellas is complimentary.

Renovation of this 15th-century building took a decidedly minimalist approach: the breakfast room, lounges, and guest rooms feature plenty of light wood, mood lighting, and sleek, angular design. The restaurant offers a seasonally changing menu that includes some traditional local dishes as well as novel flavor combinations and culinary techniques.

The Zani family runs this modern, centrally located hotel, which has welcoming public spaces, warm-color guest rooms, and one of the city's most appealing restaurants. Select from classic rooms or those with a more contemporary style, all with comfortable beds and updated bathrooms. The Ristorante Novecento serves wonderful dishes paired with local wines; they also make gluten-free dishes upon request.

Set in a Renaissance palazzo in central Modena, this luxurious bolthole combines modern and antique furnishings, and has a selection of spacious room and suites (the Royal has a beautiful frescoed ceiling) with smart marble bathrooms. The feeling of being secreted away in an exclusive, tranquil retreat is enhanced by the top-notch service and facilities for both eating and pampering. 

The quarters might be snug and simply furnished, but many have balconies with gorgeous sea and sky vistas framed by the palm trees of the Villa Rufolo, just below the hotel. D.H. Lawrence worked on Lady Chatterley's Lover during his 1926 visit (in Room 423), so it might be fun to revisit the novel's groundbreaking love scenes while at this hotel run for generations by the Schiavo family. Author Gore Vidal could often be seen strolling along the path beside the hotel—he owned La Rondinaia, the villa at the end of the path, and lodged here after selling to a private investor in 2006.

Amid a large garden on the hillside above Tremezzo, this hotel offers small, private, comfortably simple rooms; a pool with a nice view; and a popular restaurant that serves tasty Italian classics. A shuttle for arrival and departure at the Tremezzo ferry stop can be arranged.

Set in a molto charming garden atop the Aventine Hill, this refurbished 19th-century villa is a romantic retreat. One of the perks of staying here, apart from the peace and tranquility, is the close proximity to Rome's gems, like the famous keyhole of the Grand Priory of the Knights of Malta where you can catch a tiny glimpse of St. Peter's dome. The decor blends bits of antique Baroque flair (such as period chandeliers) with contemporary touches like the in-room portable handset loaded with data and maps. Each guest room is uniquely designed to follow a particular theme, like the "Room of the Poems," which features verse beautifully scrawled onto the walls.

The only hotel located in Alghero's central Catalan quarter occupies an ex-convent once attached to the church of San Francesco. The somewhat cramped and cell-like guest rooms are ranged around the atmospheric 14th-century cloister where breakfast is taken. Though short on comforts, all accommodations have air-conditioning and private bathrooms, and are surprisingly quiet considering the central location. There's no elevator, and a three- to seven-night minimum stay in summer.

This high-end hotel retains hints of its former life as a Franciscan monastery, with a small lobby that leads to narrow corridors whose doors seem as if they would open into cell-like quarters but instead lead to surprisingly spacious, simply decorated, majolica-floor-tiled rooms, many with their own hot tubs and furnishings no monk would dream of. The hotel's two restaurants offer regional specialties, and its two terrace bars serve up drinks and views of the city below and the bay beyond.

Within the town's medieval walls, this convent-turned-hotel has wood-beam ceilings, graceful archways, and terra-cotta floors, with nice contemporary furnishings and ironwork in the rooms. Sip a beverage or write a postcard on the small terrace filled with potted geraniums; the pool area is framed on one side by a church with a stained-glass window of The Last Supper.

It's a revelation to find this smart boutique hotel, a former convent, buried within Trapani's rather neglected former Jewish neighborhood close to the port. Once within its doors, though, you'll find everything clean, calm, and orderly, with soothing colors, contemporary furnishings, and bathrooms with spacious walk-in showers. Breakfast, which is an optional extra, is served in the courtyard and includes fresh fruit and croissants with honey. The reception staff is quick to recommend and book a spot for your evening meal, and can arrange to have your vehicle parked in a secure garage and delivered when needed.

Surrounded by luxuriant gardens, in a large cream-color villa, the San Michele offers solid comfort and good value, along with spectacular views from sky-high Anacapri. The showstopper here is the vast pool—the largest on Capri—surrounded with tables for fine dining and lounging. Interiors are modern, with some Neapolitan period pieces adding atmosphere; most rooms have a terrace or balcony overlooking either sea or island. One of Anacapri's best nightclubs, La Lanterna Verde, is also here.

Cortona might tempt you to step back in time and stay there awhile, and the spacious, beamed, richly furnished rooms in this 15th-century town-center palazzo provide the perfect hideaway. Many rooms and the terrace take in sweeping views of tile roofs and the valley below, and the stage-set streets and squares of the medieval town are just outside the door.

Tucked behind the beginning of Corso Umberto I, this pleasant boutique hotel has a soothing lobby and a large bar area filled with plush sofas, antiques, and Art Nouveau works. Some rooms are a little on the small side, but are comfortable and airy—the larger, superior rooms have balconies. The hotel's best feature is the roof, where there is a bar and where breakfast is served, with great views of the dome of next door's Basilica of Santissima Annunziata Maggiore.

For a quiet and welcoming lodging on a residential street a stone's throw from the Basilica di San Vitale, look no further—it even has a delightful garden. Common rooms, like the sitting area, have cheery yellow walls, Oriental rugs, a bit of chintz, gleaming hardwood floors, and Arts and Crafts furniture. Breakfast is served in the garden when it's warm enough, and later on you can relax here with a drink from the honor bar. Rooms and bathrooms are surprisingly large by Italian standards. Several have private terraces overlooking the garden (two open right on to it), and two can connect, making it good for families.

Set in the shadow of St. Peter's, this small hotel is a good value, with simply decorated, ample guest rooms that feature wood-beam ceilings, parquet floors, and comfy beds. The spacious attic rooms also have tiny terraces. Frescoes in the vaulted breakfast room, as well as the fountain in the courtyard, are romantic touches.

Masterfully designed by local architect Antonio Scala, formerly of New York City, this concept lodging combines the ultramodern with a playful, at times arcane, take on Neapolitan tradition. The main sitting room proves that with the right lighting and furnishings, the color gray can both soothe and fascinate. In line with a wall quote that declares, "This evening I'm a prince, tomorrow a king," breakfast—including home-laid eggs—is served in tiny white bowls fit not just for a king, but a latter-day Chinese emperor. The guest rooms are well lit and full of playful design touches such as a bathtub in the center of the room and a shower head that changes color with the water temperature. Add in silk sheets and cashmere curtains, and the result is a magical, dreamlike lodging experience.

The atmosphere here is welcoming, hospitable, and enthusiastic, and the staff goes out of their way to ensure a fine stay; rooms in the back look out onto the lush grounds or the countryside in the distance. When it's warm, breakfast is served in the flower-filled garden with a view, providing a gorgeous start to the day.

Owned by the Gargano family for generations, this quietly elegant, supremely comfortable hotel has long been one of the treasures of the coast; indeed, it once served as a romantic escape for Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Just outside Amalfi proper, giving it a grand vista of the town, the Santa Caterina takes full advantage of its hillside location. There are vast, terraced gardens and orchards overlooking the sea, and down by the water is a luscious seawater-pool area, complete with an idyllic thatched-roof, open-air café. The lobby is charmingly coved, while decor is unobtrusively traditional, with Belle Époque accents. The luckiest guests are allowed to book the hotel's extraordinary, 19th-century hunting-box chalet, set at water's edge at the far end of the hotel's romantic orchards.

A Trastevere treasure with a pedigree going back four centuries, this ivy-covered, mansard-roofed, rosy-brick-red, erstwhile Renaissance-era convent—just steps away from the glorious Santa Maria in Trastevere church and a few blocks from the Tiber—has sweet and simple guest rooms: a mix of brick walls, "cotto" tile floors, oak furniture, and matching bedspreads and curtains. Surrounded by towering tenements, the complex is centered on a monastic portico courtyard, lined with orange trees—a lovely place for breakfast.

The central courtyard of this boutique hotel near Milan's fashion district is covered in a layer of water, a cheeky nod to the Naviglio Grande canal that once ran in front of the 19th-century palace, which now has a sleek, minimalist design and artsy touches like brass ginkgo biloba–leaf lamps, serpentine mosaic floor patterns, and flowers and music selected by curators. Relatively simple white-on-white guest rooms have black and gray accents, high ceilings, oak parquet floors, and white Carrara marble bathrooms; try for a room with a private terrace overlooking the peaceful courtyard. Though there's no formal restaurant, the Senato Caffè offers small plates and aperitivo. A seasonal rooftop sundeck is perfect for chilling and has a phone for placing drink orders with the Caffè.

Sun-filled and immaculately landscaped terraces and gardens, perfumed by citrus trees and honeysuckle, anchor this luxury property in Malfa. Here, the rooms are light and airy, and many have private balconies and sea views. The comprehensive spa's treatments incorporate the botanicals of the island (prickly pears, capers, Malvasia wine, bitter orange). The hotel's excellent restaurant (open for lunch and dinner), helmed by chef Martina Caruso, tells the story of the island's flavors with loving refinement.

Rooms in this 15th-century palazzo, entered via a courtyard with potted plants and sculpture-filled niches, are simply furnished; some have Arno views, others have stuccoed ceilings. Breakfast is served in a room that preserves an Empire feel (including two chandeliers from the early 19th century). When it's warm, a large, sunny terrace is the perfect place to read.

A homey feel with comfortable beds and upholstered furnishings with matching drapery, along with access to a luxurious thermal spa included in the rates, keeps many guests returning year after year. The location is perfect: just inside the city walls, near the Castello, set amid lakeside gardens and terraces.

A 15th-century palazzo in the center of town is the setting for this classic, comfortable, and relatively affordable hotel, where front rooms have terraces with breathtaking lake views and the rooftop terrace is a perfect retreat from summer's crowded beaches.