14 Best Hotels in Tuscany, Italy

Spread across five buildings, this elegant lodging used to be a small medieval town, but now it's given over to luxury, which is immediately apparent upon entering the reception area—white walls, high vaulted ceilings, and furniture covered in exquisite chintz prints mingle with tasteful etchings and watercolors. Rooms have tile floors, spacious bathrooms, and windows that open out onto peace and tranquillity. The Michelin-starred restaurant, Il Poggio Rosso, serves Latin-influenced Italian cuisine.

This 11th-century monastery has been transformed into a luxurious hotel with, among other things, a large spa, indoor and outdoor pools, two restaurants (Cantina, serving traditional Tuscan food, and the more upscale Contrada), and expansive guest rooms featuring beamed ceilings and wallpaper showing local landscapes. There are also tennis courts and an open-air gym.

Consisting of a former convent (dating from the 1300s) and a Romanesque church, this rustic yet elegant lodging has rooms with canopy beds, chiseled-stone fireplaces, and massage-jet tubs (in suites). Windows look out on the hills, woods, and vineyards. Dine by candlelight in the courtyard on sophisticated classics—carrè di agnello in crosta di noce (walnut-coated rack of lamb), for example—at the first-class restaurant.

The pale yellow exterior only hints at the elegance inside this hotel created by joining two Liberty villas dating from 1899 and 1902. Refined furnishings include gem-color fabrics and dark wood. Many rooms have balconies that face the sea or the mountains, and all of them have comfortable beds with linen sheets and copious pillows. Though beach privileges come at an extra price, the pool is so pretty that going to the beach may seem irrelevant. Half- and full board are available, and a seven-night stay is mandatory.

The location has been described as "heaven on earth," and a stay at this elegant Ferragamo estate—situated near a medieval village and with accommodations that include a 10-bedroom villa (rented out as a single unit) that was once a luxurious hunting lodge—is sure to bring similar descriptions to mind. Here, the houses have been converted into splendid suites and villas that sleep two to eight. No two are alike, and the shops and craftspeople who work in the village are all part of the hotel: the atmosphere is magical.

Options at this sumptuous lodging include rooms and suites in an 18th-century villa, or, for more seclusion, private suites and villas at the far end of the property. The hotel serves an almost exclusively international clientele. Cooking classes and guided wine tastings are available, a small shop sells estate-produced olive oil and wine, and the restaurant serves sumptuous fare.

A 14th-century monastery has been converted into this upscale country hotel, where rooms have the style and comfort of an aristocratic villa, with classic prints and bold colors such as daffodil yellow. Common areas are luxurious, with fine woods and leather upholstery. In warm weather, breakfast is served on the patio next to the garden ablaze with flowers.

This estate, one of the largest still in private hands in Tuscany, was purchased at the beginning of this century and meticulously converted into a second-to-none resort that incorporates a medieval borgo (village) and surrounding farmhouses and has luxurious suites, as well as opulent three- to five-bedroom villas, each with its own pool. There are two on-site restaurants, one formal, the other casual, where cooking lessons are also offered. The highly acclaimed, 18-hole golf course, designed by Tom Weiskopf, is open only to members of the golf club and hotel guests.

This hotel on a private bay provides access to a sandy white beach from the bar and restaurant. A central building and several surrounding cottages contain guest rooms with simple white-wood desks and beds with ironwork insets. Some rooms have balconies.

Worldly cares are softly washed away by the comforts of the rooms (some damask linens, tapestry-like canopies, marble highboys), the superlative attentiveness of the staff, and the hotel's magnificent garden setting. A buffet lunch is served on a canopied terrace above the pool, and numerous smaller terraces are tucked away on the sloping cliffs, perfect for a peaceful afternoon nap. Chaises and white umbrellas sit ocean-side on the beach. Some rooms are in separate cottages. If absolute privacy is your main concern—and you're willing to pay for it—one suite has a private pool.

Viareggio's first hotel—opened in 1871 to host those on the Grand Tour, as well as many Russians who stayed for extended periods—still exudes old-world charm, even though it's been completely updated to suit 21st-century tastes. Public rooms filled with lovely brocaded furniture provide the perfect place to have an aperitivo. Guest rooms have high ceilings, large windows with damask drapes, and hard-wood floors; bathrooms are surprisingly large. La Terrazza, the top-floor restaurant, has views of the sea and a creative young chef whose innovative, tasty food makes a stay here even more worthwhile.

The grounds of this former Etruscan settlement—a series of low-slung medieval stone buildings with barrel-tile roofs—feature cobbled paths and cypress trees; the interior has unfussy rooms with terra-cotta tile floors, attractive woodwork, and elegant but comfortable furnishings. The fire-lit reading room with a bar is particularly inviting.

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.

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.