When we drove up to the main door of Il Salviatino, our car was covered with dust from a week of driving in Tuscany. We mentioned how embarrassed we were about it and the response from the staff who greeted us was, “Oh, can we wash it for you?” And this was the first of many such gestures : “The shuttle to Florence’s center is full of guests, so we have called a taxi to take you anywhere you want in Florence, on us.” A red envelope containing detailed directions to the airport appears in our room within minutes of having mentioned to a staff person that I would want to talk to them about airport directions sometime. I mention that I’d like a table with an especially good view of the Duomo for a special final dinner with friends and sure enough, it is waiting for us that night. I kept saying to myself, “Am I really in Italy,” where I have not come to expect the sort of service you receive at Amans in SE Asia. And I really enjoyed the escape from the August heat of Florence, which really bakes you when you’re in those vegetation-free streets for even a few minutes. And it’s amazing how just a 5-minute drive from the town center, being on the hillside is noticeably cooler and breezier. The Il Salviatino villa was used most recently as Stanford’s Study Abroad center (those lucky students), but you’d never know it now, because the restoration is so chic and elegant. The public rooms on the ground floor are really handsome, comfortable environs – the library especially is a terrific room, with its long, tufted leather sofas and the most extensive collection of books related to Italian style and art imaginable. Meals in the summer were entirely on the terrace, with views out to Florence. The breakfast menus were the most impressive I’ve seen at a hotel in ages, with a huge range of delicious offerings, and amuse bouche provided even for breakfast. The dinner menu is smaller, a slight contemporization of Italian classics – and while a bit more uneven in quality that the breakfasts, was mostly very good, if pricey. Here's the view at sunset from Il Salviatino:

Room

I’d reserved a Dome View Junior Suite, and was initially thrilled to learn we’d been upgraded to the top suite, the Ojetti, which is the only accommodation with a terrace, and sits at the very top and front of the villa, so the views both down to Florence and around to Fiesole and the surrounding hillsides are wondrous. But despite how nice it is to have that terrace, the suite was so eccentric that I found myself sometimes wishing I’d just received the Junior Suite I’d booked (although I never felt that strongly enough to be willing to give up the Ojetti Suite’s terrace). To begin with, to access the Ojetti Suite you cannot take the main elevator, but must cram into a staff elevator that is miniscule. Once in the suite, I was initially thrilled by the living room with its greenhouse ceiling and high-tech retractable blinds, the silver pots of yellow lilies everywhere, and up a small staircase, the bathtub in an aerie of its own and the terrace. The décor is much to my liking – comfortable, white sofas and chairs, wood floors, etc. But upon staying in the room, its discomforts soon manifested themselves. The water pressure in the bathroom, at the top of the house, is unpredictable. The bathroom is not the sort of marble affair we’ve come to expect, but instead contains a sort of gold-painted shower stall that feels as if it is made of inexpensive, low-grade material. The air conditioning does not reach all parts of the suite . . . but does in fact reach the bedroom too effectively as the vent is directly above the bed, blowing onto it in cold gusts such that we had to rig a contraption from the various chairs and spare blankets in the room to prevent it from irritating us throughout the night. Many, I think, will be so smitten with the spaciousness of the suite and the quality of the furnishings and the terrace that these flaws will not concern them, but I feel obliged to mention that this suite, at least, is a mixed bag, and perhaps I would have enjoyed a more traditional room, on the 1st floor, with its high ceilings and large windows, to be more aligned with my desires. But again, that terrace . . . it’s hard to give that up, but I wish I didn’t feel like such trade-offs had to be made in order to enjoy the suite with that terrace! The living room of the Ojetti Suite:  

The free minibar: 

The view of Fiesole from the Ojetti Suite's terrace:

The view of Florence from the Ojetti Suite's terrace:  

Pool/Spa

The least impressive aspect of the hotel is the pool and spa, so I can’t recommend Il Salviatino if you’re wanting to spend any amount of time poolside or receiving treatments. The pool is quite a walk down a dirt path from the hotel, although the hotel will of course take you down via buggy. But the quality of the build of the pool is just really lacking – it already appears streaked and dirty, and while there’s a poolboy who provides towels and such, it really is a half-baked affair. The neighboring spa is also very underwhelming, and the treatments we were received were of poor quality.   

Overall

But if you don’t need a pool/spa, and want a lovely place with nice views, food, and service, I wholeheartedly recommend Il Salviatino.