Hotel Savoy

Sitting on the Piazza della Repubblica — where the old Roman forum once stood and where Florence's literary cafés still cluster — the Savoy has been a fixture since 1893. A comprehensive Rocco Forte renovation stripped away decades of accumulated fuss and replaced it with the kind of clean-lined Florentine elegance that Olga Polizzi (the brand's design director and Rocco's sister) does so well. 102 rooms, the Irene restaurant and bar opening directly onto the piazza, and a location that puts the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and Uffizi all within a five-minute walk.