Belmond has reopened Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel above Florence after an extensive 18 month renovation, unveiling a renewed Renaissance retreat with reimagined interiors, a new Guerlain spa and the launch of Antesi, a fine dining restaurant by Executive Chef Alessandro Cozzolino. Perched in the hills of Fiesole, the former 15th century monastery now enters a new era shaped around slow luxury, wellbeing and the Tuscan art of living.
A Renaissance icon reimagined
Villa San Michele sits in terraced gardens and woodland overlooking Florence, with a façade attributed to the school of Michelangelo and origins as a 15th century Franciscan monastery. Following a meticulous renovation led by Luigi Fragola Architects in collaboration with Belmond’s design teams, the property now features 39 completely redesigned rooms and suites, each balancing Renaissance heritage with contemporary Italian craftsmanship.
The redesign introduces a “botanica” theme, with natural materials, fresco inspired tones and views framed like paintings over the city below. As part of this new chapter, the hotel will now open from spring through winter, extending its season to invite guests to experience “slow luxury” year round rather than only in high summer.
Italy’s first Guerlain Spa at Villa San Michele
A key highlight of the reopening is the debut of Villa San Michele Spa by Guerlain, the property’s first ever spa and Guerlain’s first spa in Italy. Nestled within the villa’s historic setting and terraced gardens, the spa focuses on botanically inspired treatments that draw on Guerlain’s emblematic ingredients and rituals of rejuvenation.
The wellness offering is complemented by nature immersive experiences such as sunrise yoga in the surrounding woods and programmes designed to foster deep rest and reconnection, aligning with Belmond’s positioning of the villa as a sanctuary above the city.
Antesi: a new gastronomic chapter
The renovation also introduces Antesi, a new gastronomic restaurant led by Executive Chef Alessandro Cozzolino. Located in the 16th century loggia (the former La Loggia restaurant), Antesi is described as an intimate eight table dining room with sweeping panoramas over Florence, offering seasonal menus that reinterpret Tuscan flavours with a refined, contemporary touch.
Official materials highlight Cozzolino’s focus on ingredients from the Tuscan terroir, vegetable gardens and regional producers, shaping tasting menus that echo the surrounding landscape and changing seasons. Paired with the views from the hillside, Antesi anchors Villa San Michele as both a destination for culinary travellers and a reference point in the local fine dining scene.
Slow luxury above Florence
With its combination of restored Renaissance architecture, redesigned rooms, new spa and elevated dining, Villa San Michele reopens as a comprehensive retreat where history and contemporary luxury coexist. The emphasis on slow rhythms, gardens, wellbeing and long seasonal opening positions the hotel as an antidote to fast travel, inviting guests to savour time, views and craft in equal measure.
As part of LVMH’s hospitality portfolio, the relaunch underscores the group’s broader strategy of investing in heritage properties and layering them with branded wellness and gastronomy concepts such as Guerlain and chef led restaurants, while keeping the sense of place firmly anchored in Tuscany.
