Villa San Michele Fiesole - Tuscany

Villa San Michele, is situated just a few minutes away from the city of Florence, on the picturesque hillside of Fiesole. This XV century Villa served as a Franciscan monastery until the start of the 19th century when Napoleon dissolved the monastic orders.

Whilst much of the original artwork which adorned the monastery is now housed in the various museums of Florence, a number of masterpieces can still be observed within the rooms of the building. A comprehensive restoration project, carried out in collaboration with the Florence Fine Arts Authority, has involved the entire property including the superbly austere façade, attributed to Michelangelo, and the XVII century fresco of the Last Supper by Nicodemo Ferrucci sited in the halls once used as the Monks' refectory.

The 5 star Hotel Villa San Michele has rooms and suites located in the old monastery and buildings within in the hotel's terraced gardens. Rooms are furnished with exquisite period furniture and equipped with every modern amenity. The Michelangelo suite is one of the largest of the hotel's suites; stretching the whole length of the façade of the Villa San Michele. Once the monastery library, the room was later used as Napoleon's headquarters in Florence. The suite is furnished with large canopied bed and unique antiques and offers hotel guests stunning views of Florence, the Arno Valley and the Chianti countryside.

The "San Michele" restaurant is a favourite dining venue for hotel guests and non residents alike. The Loggia provides a superbly panoramic "al fresco" dining room during the summer months whilst in the spring and autumn, the Cloister and Cenacolo function as the hotel's elegant indoor dining rooms. For those wishing to learn some of the secrets of the world's most highly reputed chefs, the hotel's well established cooking school offers a series of fascinating master classes.

During the warm summer months, guests are likely to be found relaxing by the hotel's panoramic swimming pool.

Hotel Villa San Michele provides a complimentary shuttle service to and from the center of Florence (average journey time14 minutes).