Villa San Michele
Slow luxury. Renaissance heritage meets Tuscan craft. Quiet, meditative, genuinely removed from the city — but Florence is just 20 minutes by car or shuttle. The new interiors by Luigi Fragola Architects lean hard into artisanal materials: Impruneta terracotta floors, Cipollino marble bathrooms, hand-painted frescoes, restored stone fireplaces from the original friars' cells.
Book Antesi well in advance — only 8 tables and it's open to outside diners too
Why It Matters
The Michelangelo-attributed façade is the headline, but the real draw is the setting and the history layered into every room. The Medici owned this land. Napoleon stayed here. Leonardo da Vinci tested his flying machine on the adjacent Montececeri hillside in 1506. Post-renovation, the villa also debuts a La DoubleJ wellness partnership and Italy's most talked-about new hotel spa.
A 15th-century Franciscan monastery turned luxury hotel, perched in the Fiesole hills above Florence with a façade attributed to Michelangelo. Reopened April 28, 2026 after an 18-month renovation, the villa now runs 39 redesigned rooms and suites, its first-ever spa (by Guerlain), and a new flagship restaurant. The reduction from 42 to 39 keys only sharpens its residential feel — it genuinely reads like a private house rather than a grand hotel.
Where You'll Stay
6 room types available
Botanica Signature Suite
A celebration of the villa's historical gardens and surrounding woodland. The design plays with the relationship between art and nature: frescoed boiserie, scagliola tables hand-made by Florentine masters Bianco Bianchi, natural textiles, botanical works, and herbarium-themed collections throughout. Feels like sleeping inside a living garden.
King · 109 sqm
Junior Suites
Spread across both the monastery building and the garden grounds, junior suites add a cosy sitting area with sofa. Garden-facing suites feature interiors inspired by the outdoors, with handmade tapestries and botanical motifs. King-size or twin beds.
King or Twin · 38 sqmLimonaia Signature Suite
Set across two storeys in the former orangery, this is the most private accommodation at the villa. Deep in the gardens, it feels like a separate Fiesolan house. The suite has a personal library, curios and artwork arranged like a collector's home, plus a private garden with a heated plunge pool. Sweeping views of both the garden and the city beyond.
King · 109 sqm
Rooms
Twelve rooms in the main monastery building, fully redesigned by Luigi Fragola Architects. Floors in Impruneta terracotta, bathrooms in Cipollino marble from Carrara. Original stone fireplaces — echoing the friars' cells — have been sensitively restored alongside frescoed walls. King-size or twin beds.
King or Twin · 29 sqm
Suites
Spacious suites with a full living room, incorporating hand-selected antiques, scagliola furniture by Bianco Bianchi, and curated objets d'art. Natural textures and architectural materials — terracotta, marble, wood, ceramics — run throughout. Includes standalone retreats such as the Monastery Suite and Chapel Room.
King or Twin · 49 sqm
The Grand Tour Signature Suite
Once the private quarters of Napoleon Bonaparte, this suite occupies the entire length of the villa's first floor along the Michelangelo-designed façade. Tuscan marble, neoclassical tapestries, and antique pieces lend a residential flavour. Open-plan layout with a studio space. The views that beguiled 18th-century Grand Tour aristocrats remain intact.
King · 109 sqmThe Property
Eat & Drink
4 venues on property
Restaurant
Spa & Wellness
Treatment Menu
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
Complimentary open-air yoga and wellness classes available to hotel guests as part of the villa's new wellness programming.
The inaugural four-day immersive retreat (September 3–6, 2026), co-hosted by JJ Martin of La DoubleJ. Covers somatic practice, breathwork, guided meditation, Kundalini yoga, sound healing, and yoga nidra. Bookable separately.
A partnership with Milanese lifestyle brand La DoubleJ (founded by JJ Martin) that transforms the villa's woodland into a wellbeing destination. Three dedicated spaces: the Energy Chapel (former place of worship, reimagined with a gong, meditation pillows, and a sound-and-light installation), the Sungazing Lounge (garden terrace designed for sunset-gazing rituals over the Florentine hills), and an open-air Yoga Deck. Weekly classes, monthly practitioner residencies, and immersive seasonal retreats run year-round.
Guests can self-explore the 9,700 sqm of redesigned terraced gardens by Luca Ghezzi Garden Design. Highlights include a 42-metre rose path designed for contemplative walks, an iris garden honouring Florence's emblem, an expanded kitchen herb garden, restored fountains, and hidden nooks with panoramic viewpoints.
A weekly programme of cultural experiences set in the villa's 10,000+ sqm terraced gardens. Includes classical and jazz concerts by musicians from the Fiesole School of Music, plus creative workshops such as calligraphy and watercolour painting.
New hiking trails wind through the surrounding woodland of Parco Monumentale di Monte Ceceri — named after Leonardo da Vinci, who tested his flying machine on these same hills in 1506. Restored ancient stone benches and reconsidered viewpoints along the route offer moments to pause and take in the landscape. Trails start directly from the hotel grounds.
The hilltop pool offers sweeping panoramic views over Florence and the Chianti hills. Sun loungers available. Poolside dining via San Michele Grill. Consistently cited by guests as a highlight — its combination of altitude, intimacy, and the view over the city is genuinely hard to beat.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
Can be arranged on request; included in The Suite Life package.
Free shuttle service to Piazza della Repubblica in central Florence.
BUILD YOUR VILLA SAN MICHELE, A BELMOND HOTEL, FLORENCE PLAN
Rooms, dining, spa, and resort experiences — organized into one trip plan.
Start Planning