Oltrarno Splendid

Top choice in Oltrarno


Original frescoes and Toile de Jouy wall fabrics, decorative fireplaces and a wonderful collection of vintage curios create an enriching sense of home at this exquisite guesthouse – the latest on-trend creation by calligrapher Betty Soldi and partner Matteo. All 14 rooms enjoy romantic rooftop views of Florence, and the welcome from maître d' Alberto could not be warmer or more charming.

This boutique hideaway, evocative of the elegant Grand Tour days, gets it name from the classic read Hotel Splendide by Ludwig Belmelmans.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Oltrarno attractions

1. Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine

0.11 MILES

Fire in the 18th century practically destroyed this 13th-century church, but it spared the magnificent frescoes in its chapel – the entrance to Cappella…

2. Cappella Brancacci

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Fire in the 18th century practically destroyed 13th-century Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine, but it spared its magnificent chapel frescoes – a…

3. Fondazione Salvatore Romano

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For a change of pace from the Renaissance, head to this Gothic-style former refectory safeguarding an imposing wall fresco by Andrea Orcagna depicting the…

4. Basilica di Santo Spirito

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The facade of this Brunelleschi church, smart on Florence's most shabby-chic piazza, makes a striking backdrop to open-air concerts in summer. Inside, the…

5. Ponte Santa Trinità

0.21 MILES

Composed of three elliptical arches of the utmost elegance – the first of their kind ever used in bridge construction – Ponte Santa Trinità was designed…

6. Torre dei Marsili

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Looming large above Ponte Vecchio is this rectangular, five-storey stone tower, built by the Marsili family as a status symbol in the 12th century. The…

7. Casa Guidi

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It was on the ground floor of 15th-century Palazzo Guidi, across from Palazzo Pitti, that Robert and Elizabeth Browning rented an apartment in 1847, a…

8. Museo Salvatore Ferragamo

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The splendid 13th-century Palazzo Spini-Feroni has been home to the Ferragamo fashion empire since 1938. Anyone with even the faintest tendency towards…