151 Best Hotels in Italy

Art Deco–inspired decor—featuring emerald (the name means "the gem") color schemes—and a library of art, design, and history books are among the hallmarks of this Florentine family–run, luxury hotel, which opened in 2023 in the 19th-century Palazzo Paoletti on a side street just steps from Piazza della Repubblica. Some suites have Duomo views, and all are relaxing retreats with velvet headboards, marble bathrooms, chess sets, rosemary-scented toiletries, La Via del Tè tea sachets, and Marshall speakers. Penthouse Lofts even have a private elevator and full kitchens. For a break from sightseeing, head to the basement-level spa, which has a sauna, steam room, and whirlpool tub, as well as treatments. The on-site restaurant, Luca's, is led by multiple Michelin–starred, Argentine-Italian chef Paulo Airaudo, who has a penchant for seafood.

If you're bronzed, beautiful, or both, this is your kind of hotel—a white Moorish mansion that evokes Hollywood-style Capri, complete with hillside terraces (indeed, the name means "little stairway"), winding paths, bougainvillea arbors, and an Architectural Digest opulence. The interior features Venetian blackamoor statues, Empire-era consoles, and Valentino fabrics; guest rooms have overstuffed sofas, bright colors, large terraces, and his-and-her bathrooms (most with whirlpool baths). Outside, one of Capri's bluest pools is the fetching setting for delicious luncheons.

Set within a series of intimate, rocky coves ("calettes" as they are called in Italian) and away from the town action, this sprawling luxury retreat with A-list-celebrity aspirations has large whitewashed rooms with balconies, a gorgeous pool, high-tech spa, gym, and two glamorous bars. 

The first thing you’ll notice about this elegant resort in the hills above Gargnano are the stupendous lake and mountain views; the second thing will be its enormous spa, which is so filled with amenities (heated indoor-outdoor pool, saunas, well-equipped lake-view gym, extensive treatment menu) that you might just want to stay all day—and some guests do. The large rooms are modern and airy, and all afford panoramic views from their private terrace or balcony.

This boutique property inside the former residence of opera composer Gaetano Donizetto aims to be a restaurant with rooms above rather than a hotel with a restaurant below. In fact, you have to walk through the restaurant to check in at the reception desk. The design is inspired by English colonial clubhouses, with plush banquettes and gallery walls featuring Old Master–style paintings with a humorous twist. Rooms have plush beds with oversize headboards, bold colors, and luxe marble bathrooms.

Up a narrow calle and across the bridge from the bustling Strada Nova, this 15th-century palazzo sits by a tranquil canal and an evocative little campo; inside you'll find traditional Venetian decor and guest rooms featuring silk damasks tufted onto multiwindowed walls. Standout options include a suite with a columned balcony overlooking the Priuli Canal, or the hideaway attic mansarda, with sloping ceilings and a rooftop view from several windows.

The first luxury hotel built on the Via Veneto, in 1889, the luxurious Majestic was long a favorite among Roman nobility and high society (it served as a backdrop in Fellini's La Dolce Vita). Today, the Majestic holds onto its grand old-world splendor with luxurious art deco furnishings, spacious rooms, up-to-date accessories, and white marble bathrooms. The wonderful restaurant with a Sicilian menu and bar has a delightful terrace that overlooks the Via Veneto and excellent people-watching potential.

The nine 19th-century villas that comprise this Lake Como outpost of the extravagant Mandarin chain have been thoroughly updated for the 21st century, offering a quiet setting (just north of the busy town of Como) and luxurious amenities that include a 14,000-square-foot spa and a swimming pool that "floats" above the lake. Public areas, guest rooms, and suites have beautiful lake views; some accommodations also feature floor-to-ceiling windows and private terraces or gardens. Dining options include the lakefront L˜ARIA restaurant, which serves Mediterranean cuisine, and the more casual CO.MO Bar & Bistrot. There's a car service available from the hotel to Como town and other destinations (for a fee), though it's first come, first served; since taxis on the lake are in limited supply, it's best to have your own car if you plan to explore the rest of the lake.

This goal of this hotel, opened in 1924, is to relax the body and the spirit—and it certainly makes a smashing effort by offering year-round outdoor pools, an indoor pool, a delightful spa, and beautiful park surroundings. You can stay in a traditional room, a luxury suite, or even in the unique tree-house room. They also run the nearby San Luis Retreat Hotel & Lodges, with chalets and 16 tree houses.

Far from the madding, sunburned crowds—in a sleekly renovated former fortress on Punta Cornacchia above the Bay of San Montano—this luxurious getaway (part of the chic Pellicano Hotels Group) tempts its privileged guests to stay put and relax, with a glamorous heated pool overlooking a storybook cove, fine restaurants, spa treatments, and hundreds of pretty pine and pomegranate trees. Inside, everything is white-on-white, accented with charming retro details, like brass lamps and illustrated matchbooks. Most guest rooms are in the 16th-century Aragonese tower. The restaurants—La Torre and the more laidback, alfresco La Baia—are open to nonguests by reservation.

The only hotel in Italy outfitted by famed French designer Philippe Starck boasts a clubby atmosphere, over-the-top contemporary rooms lined with Murano glass, and so-close-you-can-touch-them Grand Canal views. Sleek white guest rooms feature Carnival mask motifs on the lamps, large-size TVs hidden inside mirrors, and plenty of comfy couches and chairs to relax in; some have their own balconies or terraces. The Restaurant offers modern versions of traditional Venetian cuisine, or you can sip some bubbly in the intimate Krug Champagne Lounge, with mesmerizing Grand Canal views, before dining on the impressive roof terrace, open from May through September. For a decadent oasis within a short stroll of St. Mark’s Square, the Palazzina can’t be beat.

Once home to the Malaspina family who hosted high-society gatherings throughout the 18th century, this former Roman villa has public spaces that are sumptuously decorated with chandeliers, velvet curtains, and eclectic artwork. Rooms feature tasteful navy blue, taupe, or green details against white backdrops, with comfortable beds and minimal furniture. Some suites offer incredible details like beamed ceilings, terraces, design books, and prints by noted photographers. The gorgeous outdoor garden features olive and lemon trees, and a pool with sunbeds.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This ultraprivate hotel is free from noise except for the lapping of waves on the rocks; terraces and flowering gardens spill down a rocky cliff to private beaches below, and on the hill above, the owners raise purebred donkeys that you can ride over the mountain and goats that produce fresh yogurt and cheese for breakfast. Rooms feel more like those of a private home than a hotel; to complete your sense of relaxation, hydromassages and mud baths are available at the hotel's spa. You can only get here via the hotel's private boat.

Count Andrea Lucini Passalacqua hosted artists and politicians at this 5-acre lakefront villa in Moltrasio, just north of Cernobbio, until the count's death in 1890; today the Bellini Suite (a 2,700-square-foot suite with an opulent music room reserved for Vincenzo Bellini while he composed operas) and 23 others, have restored frescoes, Murano glass chandeliers, and luxurious soaking tubs. The De Santis family's luxury hideaway, in the vein of its Grand Hotel Tremezzo, has a tennis court, pool festooned with orange-and-white striped cushioned chairs and umbrellas, 15 fountains, and staff in ascots, which adds to the bygone era atmosphere. Cocktails with garden-fresh herbs (such as a Lavender Gin Sour and Rose Petal Martini), are served in a cozy fire-lit bar, with a ceiling adorned in the Lucini family's coat of arms of three pikes, which is also the insignia on brass key chains, stationery, and embroidered robes. In the on-site restaurant, black-tied waitstaff present regional dishes such as perch and veal shank with Milanese risotto, all inspired by 19th-century botany books and served on Ginori 1735 porcelain.

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.

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.

The sweeping views of the castle, the sea, and Mount Etna from this converted 14th-century Dominican monastery will linger in your mind, along with the equally memorable levels of luxury and wonderful food in the hotel's highly lauded restaurant, Principe Cerami. Rooms have a sophisticated contemporary design, exquisite linens, and ultramodern amenities. The San Domenico's Renaissance flavor is preserved by two exquisite cloisters, convent rooms, and sensuous gardens full of purple agapanthus flowers, bougainvillea, and 40 different varieties of citrus trees. An infinity pool with views of the sea and Etna clings to a cliff just below the gardens. In early 2022, the HBO series The White Lotus filmed its second season on the property. Aficionados may take a drink at the bar, but at a hefty price.

This elegant palazzo is large enough to deliver expected facilities and services but small enough to pamper its guests; rooms have red-and-gold tapestry-adorned walls and carpeting and Carrara and Alpine marble in the bath, and those facing the Grand Canal have balconies. Common areas include an entrance hall with elegant marble flooring, a bright front lounge, and an intimate bar facing the Grand Canal. Ask ahead for a room with a view.

Six Senses is known for a focus on 360-degree wellness and sustainability, and the brand's first Italian property is a delight: a luxurious, tranquil retreat in the center of one of the city's busiest neighborhoods, allowing guests to be in the middle of it all while opting out of the usual cacophony of the city center. Set inside a 15th-century palazzo, a monumental Carrara marble staircase connects the four floors of peaceful, earth-toned rooms that use a mix of luxurious natural materials to create small havens of comfort. The spa, which includes Roman-style baths, and a healthy modern restaurant keep to the theme of indulgent well-being.

Spa living might not get any more top-notch than at this resort, where you can roam in a plush white bathrobe (waiting in your room) before dipping into the 37.5°C (100°F) sulfurous pools and where seemingly every possible health and beauty treatment is available. Sleek elegance pervades public and private rooms: tall windows have floor-to-ceiling draperies in rich colors like steel blue and gray or burnt umber and sage; floors are polished wood. Eclectic furniture includes some sleigh-shape benches and oval night tables. You can opt for half or full board to complete the experience.

This 1892 Art Nouveau villa hotel, named for the Italian publishing family who once vacationed here, has attracted the likes of Winston Churchill, D.H. Lawrence, and Benito Mussolini to its private lake-view gardens; extensive library; sumptuous and palatial rooms (as befits the final bill); and overall opulent interior of fresco ceilings, wood paneling, and antique ceramics. If you can afford it, take the tower room or one of the independent guesthouses.

If you're eager to settle in for a while, this charming villa, a private home for centuries, has a prime location overlooking Piazza Flavio Gioia (the Spiaggia Grande is but a hop, skip, and flip-flop away) and bright mini-apartments, each with a cooking area and a terrace or large balcony. The small garden, which hosts exhibitions by local painters, is a pleasant place to chill out as you watch the tourists and Positanesi trekking down to the beach.

Hued in glowing terra-cotta, adorned with gorgeous flowers, and fronted by a vast garden terrace, the Villa Maria offers more sunny warmth than Ravello's more formal hotels—not to mention a delightfully friendly staff (thanks to the hands-on management of the Palumbo family) and a convenient restaurant. All but two rooms are standard, and there's an airy suite that has a large balcony overlooking the coast. The views here are of the Vallone del Dragone, not the bay, but are memorable all the same. Also check out Maria's next-door sibling, the Hotel Giordano, a former 18th-century manor house, which shares facilities with the villa. The rooms are less desirable here, but the pool is closer.

Housed in an early 20th-century villa, this boutique hotel above Marina Grande amid lush terraced gardens evokes a time when the island was an artists' paradise; most of the sumptuous, modern guest rooms look out over the bay, and each one is individually decorated and named for a Capri luminary. If the sleek hotel's small pool isn't to your liking, choose a suite with a private pool. A shuttle bus meets you at the port, then a welcome drink is served under a shady veranda overlooking the bay, while your luggage is whisked to your room. The Stai Spa offers exclusively designed treatments, while the Ziqù restaurant serves traditional local fare with an original touch.

In the hills of Fiesole, a cypress-lined driveway provides an elegant preamble to this incredibly gorgeous (and very expensive) hotel, which is housed in a 16th-century building that was originally a Franciscan convent designed by Santi di Tito. Not a single false note is struck in the reception area (formerly the chapel), the dining rooms (a covered cloister and former refectory), or by the tasteful antiques and art that decorate the rooms. The open-air loggia, where lunch and dinner are served, provides one of the most stunning views of Florence—a good thing, too, as it compensates for the highly overpriced food.

On a quiet street between Via Veneto and the Spanish Steps, the W Rome brings a calculated cool to an upscale old-world area. Spread across two adjoining 19th-century palazzos, the hotel embraces contemporary luxury with bold colors, sleek leather, and maximalist murals and art in the common spaces. With a rooftop terrace, small pool deck, full gym, interior garden, modern Sicilian restaurant by lauded chef Ciccio Sultano, pastry shop, and a sneakers pop-up store by Big Soup, the hotel embodies la dolce vita and offers more amenities than most in the center of Rome.