Stella d’Italia: An Art-Filled Renaissance Palazzo in Florence

Florence has no shortage of beautiful hotels, but every so often one comes along that feels less like a place to stay and more like a private introduction to the city’s artistic soul. Stella d’Italia is one of those places. Set inside a 16th-century palazzo on Via de’ Tornabuoni, one of Florence’s most elegant streets, this boutique hotel brings together Renaissance architecture, collected art, vintage curiosities, and interiors that refuse to look like anyone else’s.
Opened in 2023, Stella d’Italia is the work of Florentine creative duo Betty Soldi and Matteo Perduca, whose approach to hospitality is rooted in personality rather than polished uniformity. Soldi, known for her calligraphy and design work, shapes the hotel’s visual identity, while Perduca leads the interior design. Together, they have created a place that celebrates Italy through its art, objects, colours, and cultural references. The hotel has also earned a MICHELIN Key, recognition that reflects its distinctive approach to the guest experience.

Location: Florence at Your Doorstep

Stella d’Italia sits at Via de’ Tornabuoni 7, in a part of Florence where historic architecture and contemporary fashion share the same streetscape. Step outside and you are immediately among elegant shopfronts and grand façades; turn into the smaller surrounding streets and the city becomes more intimate, with traditional shops, cafés, and glimpses of everyday Florentine life.

The hotel is also convenient for arriving by train. Santa Maria Novella station is less than a kilometre away, making the property a practical choice for travellers arriving from Rome, Milan, or other Italian cities. If you are coming by car, contact the hotel in advance about nearby garage arrangements, as the property does not have its own private parking.

First Impressions: A Palazzo Full of Stories

The building itself sets the tone. Designed by Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century, the palazzo carries a sense of history that the interiors do not try to disguise. Instead, the design plays with it. Original details sit alongside contemporary touches, while art and objects are arranged in ways that feel personal rather than overly formal.

Betty Soldi’s creative sensibility is especially evident in the small surprises: handles reclaimed from old Florentine cinemas, historic film posters sourced at auction, playful colour combinations, and walls where traces of the past have been left visible. The result feels like a collector’s home crossed with a small museum, but without the stiffness that comparison might suggest.

It is the kind of place where you may find yourself taking the long way back to your room simply because another corridor or painting has caught your eye.

The Rooms: Every Space Has Its Own Personality

Stella d’Italia’s 24 rooms and suites are spread across the upper three floors of the palazzo, and no two are quite alike. Some look onto the elegant Via de’ Tornabuoni, others face quieter internal courtyards, while selected rooms have private terraces overlooking the terracotta rooftops of Florence.

The design is deliberately eclectic. More than 500 paintings and artworks appear throughout the property, including landscapes, still lifes, maritime scenes, cartographic fragments, and contemporary pieces. Antique furniture, colourful textiles, vintage objects, and modern comforts come together without following a rigid design formula. In some rooms, original 18th-century frescoes have been uncovered and preserved.

The larger suites have even more room for expressive details, including rich colours and freestanding bathtubs positioned close to the bed in selected categories. Other rooms offer private terraces, ideal for a quiet coffee before heading out into the city. Every room includes practical essentials such as an espresso machine, kettle, Wi-Fi, television, and Lorenzo Villoresi bath products.

Choosing a room is part of the fun here. If views are important, look at the categories overlooking Via de’ Tornabuoni or the rooftops; if you prefer a quieter outlook, consider a room facing an internal courtyard. Either way, the individuality is the point.

Breakfast and Aperitivo: Beautiful Rooms for Slower Moments

The hotel’s breakfast salon is one of its most distinctive spaces. Wrapped in 18th-century frescoes by Florentine masters, the room is decorated with pastoral scenes inspired by the artistic traditions of the Grand Tour. Marble tables, carefully chosen furnishings, and the painted ceiling make breakfast feel like a small daily ritual rather than something to hurry through.

The buffet includes Tuscan products alongside sweet and savoury options, with cappuccino and fresh coffee setting the tone for the morning. An adjoining terrace, shaded by climbing plants, offers a quieter place to sit before the city gets busy.

Later in the day, the Salone Bar shifts into aperitivo mode. One of its most charming details is a collection of colourful Buon Ricordo ceramic plates, associated with Italian restaurants and their regional specialities since the 1960s. It is a lovely expression of the hotel’s wider philosophy: objects are not simply decoration but reminders of places, meals, and traditions.

For guests who book directly, the hotel advertises breakfast included in the rate, along with a welcome glass of Prosecco and a discount at nearby Regina Bistecca, subject to the current booking offer.

Under Florentine Skies: The Loggia Terrace

One of Stella d’Italia’s most appealing spaces is its furnished loggia on the top floor. From here, the view stretches across Florence’s rooftops towards the Tuscan hills, offering a different perspective on a city usually experienced from its crowded piazzas and museum galleries.

The terrace is furnished with deep cherry-red velvet armchairs and original folding seats salvaged from Florence’s historic Odeon Cinema. It is a space made for a leisurely coffee between sightseeing stops or an aperitivo before dinner, especially when the late-afternoon light settles over the rooftops.

It is also a reminder that the hotel’s most memorable features are often the smaller ones. You do not need a grand rooftop restaurant or a large entertainment programme when a thoughtfully furnished corner with a view can be enough.

Exploring Florence from Stella d’Italia

The hotel’s central address makes it easy to build a stay around Florence’s greatest cultural landmarks. Visit the Duomo and its surrounding piazzas, spend time with Renaissance masterpieces at the Uffizi, or cross the Arno towards the artisan workshops and gardens of the Oltrarno district.

Via de’ Tornabuoni itself deserves a little attention, particularly for its historic buildings and fashion boutiques. But some of the best moments in Florence happen between the headline sights: an espresso at a neighbourhood café, a turn down a narrow street, or a leisurely lunch that stretches longer than planned.

The hotel team can help with practical arrangements and restaurant reservations, making it easier to discover the city beyond the obvious stops. Given its central position, it is also easy to return during the day for a short rest before heading out again.

What Sets Stella d’Italia Apart?

Stella d’Italia is not trying to recreate a traditional Renaissance residence exactly as it once was. Instead, it treats Florence’s artistic history as something to live with and reinterpret. The result is a hotel where antique objects, original artworks, film memorabilia, expressive colours, and modern design exist together without feeling overly coordinated.

Betty Soldi’s background in calligraphy and visual storytelling is reflected in the attention paid to small details, while Matteo Perduca’s interiors give the building a distinctive visual language. The frescoed breakfast salon and cinema-seat furnishings on the loggia are memorable examples of how the property connects design with the city’s cultural life.

For travellers who appreciate hotels with a point of view, that sense of authorship is the real draw.