A sixteenth-century Medici villa set directly on the Arno riverbank at Candeli, eight kilometres southeast of Florence, gives Villa la Massa one of the most particular situations of any hotel in Tuscany — the river bending around the estate's formal gardens on three sides, cypress allées and clipped hedgerows anchoring the grounds to the Florentine hills behind. The main building, a three-storey ochre-rendered palazzo with terracotta-tiled rooflines, is extended by converted farmhouse dependencies whose warm sienna render is visible around the pool complex, the ensemble spreading across the flat riverside plain with the unhurried logic of a working agricultural estate. Inside, the interiors favour a domesticated Florentine register rather than grand-hotel formality. Bedroom ceilings are left as exposed painted timber beams, floors run to terracotta herringbone tiles, and the palette across the 37 rooms moves between dusty periwinkle blue and warm cream — headboards upholstered with hand-painted cartouche motifs in red and turquoise, curtains in shot silk, dhurrie-influenced geometric rugs warming the stone underfoot. The riverside terrace dining room, shaded by canvas awnings on wrought-iron frames, sets terracotta-glazed ceramic planters and cobalt glass tabletops against the Arno view, the ironwork lanterns overhead carrying the same craft vocabulary found throughout the property. The effect is closer to an inhabited Florentine family house than a hotel, which has always been the point.

15min drive from Florence city center

The 14th-century medicean Villa La Massa is set on the banks of the Arno River in the Tuscan countryside and linked to Florence’s city centre by the complimentary hotel shuttle. The hotel features 51 rooms, divided between five historic buildings: the Villa Nobile, the Mill, the Villino, the Casa Colonica and the Limonaia. The spirit of the Renaissance is still palpable in the first two villas decorated with sublime canopied beds, frescoes and tapestries, silks and brocades, while the other three are beautifully furnished in a more contemporary Florentine style. One of the villas, the Casa Colonica, an ancient farmhouse featuring 4 suites and a kitchen, has been rehabilitated in 2018 and can be rented out on an exclusive basis. The restaurant Il Verrocchio serves traditional Tuscan cuisine while the new L'Oliveto Bistro serves light fair by the brand new outdoor heated pool during the day. The Arno SPA is set in a welcoming Tuscan atmosphere and features products by Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella.