Editor’s Note
Collegio alla Querce, part of the esteemed Auberge Collection, sits on a charming hillside neighbourhood on Florence’s north side, tucked behind wrought iron gates on Via delle Forbici. You’d never know you’re only a 15-minute drive from a busy airport. Before you even step inside, you’re greeted by a magnificent view. Duomo di Firenze rises above terracotta roofs, with Tuscany rolling away in the other direction.
The property has lived a few lives. Once a much-loved boarding school, with history reaching back to the 16th century, it has been restored as an 83-room hotel spread across adjacent buildings. Spanish architects Esteva i Esteva handled the restoration, keeping the Renaissance shell intact while local firm ArchFlorence layered in furnishings that allow it to feel lived in again. It’s grand in scale yet with surprisingly personal details of inlaid floors, cabernet-red access, handpicked art.
The rooms are split across three buildings, and no two are quite alike. Standard rooms are chicly intimate at thirty to forty square meters. The suites stretch out even more luxuriously with coffered ceilings, hand-painted walls and freestanding tubs or private terraces overlooking Florence. The grand suites go to new heights, from the Affreschi Suite’s restored frescoes to Penthouse la Quercia, a two-storey hideaway with its own rooftop pool.
Food and drink options are scattered around the grounds. There’s a glass-walled garden room for breakfast and light meals, a traditional Tuscan restaurant called La Gamella and Bar Bertelli, once the headmaster’s office, brings a bit of mischief with cocktails and cigars.
In a city abundant with iconic landmarks and hidden ateliers, it’s still easy to lose whole afternoons in the hotel’s idyllic terraced gardens or relaxing by the pool at Il Bosco – leaving you just as fulfilled. If you want to truly nourish your mind, body and soul, the Aelia spa offers therapeutic treatments inspired by local Tuscan traditions and infusions sourced from organic gardens.
To book, please contact the hotel by phone (+39 055 4049000) or email (info.caq@auberge.com) and simply mention "LUXEAT" when making your reservation.
Enjoy your morning with coffee and pastries in the Conservatorio before heading to a gallery in Florence. Return uphill for a swim at Il Bosco and an Aelia Spa treatment before indulging in an aperitivo at Bar Bertelli and dinner at La Gamella.
From May to October, when the restaurants are open and it’s warm enough for poolside afternoons.
The three levels of terraced Baroque gardens, with their old-growth cypress, olives and soaring oak trees – a nod to Collegio Alla Quece’s name (College of the Oaks).
The wrought iron gates. They mark the shift from city to hillside retreat, from Florence’s bustling streets to marble-lined hallways and distant views.
Design and history enthusiasts, as well as pet owners, as dogs are welcome at Il Bosco and the terrace of La Gamella.