Four Seasons Hotel Firenze

The hotel occupies a 15th-century palazzo and a former convent, connected by Florence's largest private garden — 4.5 hectares of botanical beauty in the centre of the city. The frescoes in the palazzo's public rooms are museum-quality (one depicts a 15th-century Florentine hunting scene in such detail that art historians use it as a reference document), and the restored convent chapel hosts occasional concerts. It's the rare Four Seasons where the building thoroughly upstages the brand. 116 rooms, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and a garden that Florentines themselves envy.