Artful Escapes: Villa San Michele
In Florence, Belmond’s historic stay set inside a 15th-century monastery has recently added three new signature suites, each decorated according to a theme
It’s a high-wire act to alter a masterpiece, but Belmond has succeeded brilliantly with the interiors of the celebrated Villa San Michele, which recently reopened after an 18-month renovation by Florence-based Luigi Fragola Architects. Originally a 15th-century monastery and a cherished interlude on the grand tour of Europe, the hotel has three new signature suites: Limonaia, Botanica, and The Grand Tour. Each is decorated according to a theme—a private art collector’s home, the villa’s historic gardens, and that traditional 17th- to 19th-century educational journey, respectively.
Other accommodations, including the Monastery Suite and the Chapel Room, have been expanded and refreshed with natural textures, antiques, and an architectural restoration to create a meditative ambience. “These interiors do not merely evoke the villa’s history; they interpret it and renew it,” says Luigi Fragola. “We used authentic materials—Tuscan textiles, artisanal ceramics, marble, terra-cotta, and wood—to reimagine the Renaissance ideals of beauty, rebirth, and discovery.”
There’s also a Guerlain spa, and the landscape has been reworked to reflect the style of a traditional Fiesole hillside garden.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2026 Summer Issue in the section “Artful Escapes.” Subscribe to the magazine.