From The Sunday Times Travel Magazine

£140 Riva Lofts

‘Fluttery hammocks and bikes tucked under lemon trees’

Looks like a private pad, doesn’t it? That’s because this is an all-suite hotel. Check in and you could be in some luxurious, move-into-without-further-ado studio apartment. So it’s no wonder that, last year, on a whim, an IBM manager extended his short break to six weeks.

The Sunday Times Travel Magazine - January

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You might not be in the thick of it – it’s 20 minutes on foot from the centre, along the Arno River – but you can always borrow one of the antique-looking bikes under the lemon tree in the courtyard.

What was once a cluster of artisans’ workshops (you can just picture impassioned souls in smocks flinging paint around the sky-high ceilings) was, until last year, the home of architect Claudio Nardi. Before transforming his home into a hotel, he designed stores for Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana, so, naturally, it’s not lagging in the style stakes. There are nifty touches in rooms – dusky-blue costume trunks as wardrobes – and bare bricks and arty photos in the lounge.

Days are easily snoozed away on the fluttery hammocks next to the rectangular pool. In fact, it’s a good thing there’s no restaurant, or you might never haul yourself into town. When you do, ask your hostess, Maria, to sneak you in at ever-popular Cibreo. And beg her to make her pear sponge for breakfast the next day.

Riva Lofts (00 39 055 713 0272) has suites from £140, B&B.

£175 Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo

‘Rippling terracotta rooftop views’

If, after seeing every Renaissance delight in the city, you still aren’t sated, book a night in Donatello’s old room. In the 15th century, when the bronze ‘David’ was still a twinkle in his eye, the Florentine sculptor had a workshop on the second floor of this Palazzo, now owned by the well-to-do Niccolini family.

Today, the Marquis has the first floor, while 10 guest rooms sprawl across the second and third. Opt for one of two overlooking the curves of the landmark Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore, and you feel you could touch its gingerbready dome if you leaned out. (Don’t try – you’re quite a way up.)

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