How a week in Italy with Belmond rewired my brain

Every space and experience encourages guests to slow down. Like the amphitheatre, with vineyard views ahead and fragrant rose garden behind, where the occasional movie night under the stars take place.

The handsome Bar Visconti, with its monochrome chequered floor and cosy window-side banquettes, is a tribute to Italian film director Luchino Visconti, who made Castello di Casole his personal playground in the 1960s. Black and white stills from his films adorn the walls alongside hand-painted Tuscan frescoes, and you can order his eponymous cocktail: a bellini made with home-grown white peaches. Lovely as the bar is, it’s silly not to take advantage of the hotel’s terrace. A sunset aperitif there, overlooking distant vineyards and castles, becomes a sacred daily ritual in the name of villegiatura.

Villa San Michele, Florence

Stop number two is Villa San Michele, a former monastery from Italy’s Renaissance era in the hillside enclave of Fiesole above Florence, which reopened in April following an 18-month renovation by Luigi Fragola Architects. The sense of arrival is surreal: after an upward drive through emerald greenery, we’re met by the hotel’s striking façade—designed by none other than Michelangelo.

The “lobby” sits in what used to be the Church of Villa San Michele alla Doccia. It was declared a national monument in 1896, but eroded due to time and neglect; Belmond began restoration work in 1988 to bring the chapel back to life. The soaring ceilings and archways remain intact, upgraded with dramatic flowing textiles, ornate chinoiserie screens and tall plants.

Check-in happens at the altar with a glass of champagne on arrival—a kind of communion I will gladly get behind.

Fragola and the Belmond Design team did well to create a sense of discovery as you move through the hotel. From check-in, a short walk lands you in a stunning, sun-drenched conservatory with hanging vines and a massive centuries-old tapestry.

The seating is a mash-up of textiles and materials that technically shouldn’t work, yet does so perfectly in that mysterious Belmond way. The old refectory, where monks used to dine, is now the breakfast room, where its elegant daily buffet faces Nicodemo Ferrucci’s 1631 fresco of The Last Supper, juxtaposed by Argentine contemporary artist Leandro Erlich’s Cloud cabinet, a kind of optical illusion featuring clouds created with white ceramic ink in a glass case. 

“Striking this balance is about a respectful and continuous dialogue between history and modernity. We believe in crafting ‘contemporary heritage’ by enhancing a property’s historical soul to reveal and celebrate the unique story of a place,” says Champenois. “The renovation of Villa San Michele was a meticulous journey to reveal the true soul of this 15th-century Franciscan monastery, deepening its connection to Tuscany’s craftsmanship and the spirit of Florence. Our goal is to create a layering of rhythms and rituals that are elegant, a mosaic of references to times gone by but mixed seamlessly with innovation.”

And the gardens - oh my days. The only way to describe them is enchanted.

The hotel grounds are home to 15th-century gardens once tended to by Franciscan monks. Terraces lined with roses and lavender create pops of colour that contrast with Florence's sea of ochre and terracotta rooftops in the distance, while a 200-year-old wisteria blooms twice a year, wrapping the lawn-facing Renaissance façade in vibrant purple blooms. Butterflies and bees flutter and pollinate; it’s a fairytale brought to life. 

In the rooms and suites, original elements like stone fireplaces have been restored, balanced with a strong emphasis on showing off Tuscan craftsmanship; floors in Impruneta terracotta, Cipollino marble bathrooms, scagliola tables and bespoke carpentry establish a clear sense of place.

The most impressive accommodation, however, is the Grand Tour Suite, a space that served Napoleon Bonaparte’s military headquarters in 1808.

A point of pride in the hotel’s reopening is the introduction of Antesi, a new eight-table restaurant in the hotel’s 16th-century Renaissance loggia overlooking all of Florence. It’s led by executive chef Alessandro Cozzolino— possibly the happiest chef I’ve ever met. It’s easy to understand why. He spends his mornings in the hotel’s gardens foraging for seasonal ingredients for his daily menu, and picking wild flowers to use in the presentation of his dishes. 

Hotel Cipriani, Venice

The final stop on my journey brings me to Venice; more specifically, to the legendary Hotel Cipriani, set quietly on the tip of Giudecca Island where we arrive by the hotel’s private boat. Founded in 1958 by Giuseppe Cipriani—creator of Harry’s Bar and inventor of the Bellini—the property was built to function as a secluded hideaway for jetsetters and cultural icons during the height of Italy’s dolce vita era.

The famous Casanova Gardens, where Giacomo Casanova himself reputedly wooed his lovers, is still thriving and seductive as ever.

To guide the hotel into its next chapter, Belmond tapped architect and interior designer Peter Marino, who also happens
to chair the Venetian Heritage Foundation. Marino’s multi-phase transformation bridges three distinct eras: the storied elegance of Old Venice, the mid-century glamour of the hotel’s 1950s origins, and contemporary art.

The light- filled, double-height arrival lobby sits next to the hotel’s charming original wooden bell desk, and the overhauled Signature Suites—most of which are styled like private Venetian apartments—fuse traditional terrazzo floors, Murano glass chandeliers and antique marble with avant-garde artwork from Italian masters like Emilio Vedova and Carla Accardi.

Cip’s Club, the hotel’s “see and be seen” floating restaurant built in 1976, is lively every night, with guests piling in to enjoy signature dishes such as beef carpaccio, salt- baked branzino and tagliolini verdi gratinati overlooking panoramic views of the iconic St Marks Square.

Tatler tip: since Hotel Cipriani sits in a quieter pocket of Venice, away from the touristy commotion, take advantage of the thoughtful service of a complimentary speedboat that shuttles guests between the hotel and the square; it runs every five to seven minutes, 24 hours a day.

It was at Cip’s Club, on my second last night in Italy, surrounded by buzz and beauty, that I turned to my travel partner and said, “What if we just stayed in tonight?” And so we did.

While speedboats hummed in the distance and guests mingled in the courtyard below, I sat in my Francesca Ruffini-designed dressing gown, enjoying a tray of tiramisu and berries in bed while watching a movie; uncharacteristically unbothered about missing out because in a world that increasingly demands speed and scale, Belmond demands just one thing: presence.

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