Fodor's Expert Review Duchi d'Aosta

Bang smack in regal Piazza Unità d'Italia, this grande dame of a hotel is beautifully furnished in Venetian Renaissance style, with dark-wood antiques, rich carpets, and plush fabrics. In the basement, below sea level, is one of northern Italy's most impressive indoor pool-spa complexes: it's reminiscent of ancient Roman baths. On the ground floor is Harry's Restaurant. Suffice it to say this place has come a long way since its original incarnation as a 19th-century dockers' café.