The Best Hotels in Italy

Amalfi Coast

Il San Pietro di Positano sits built into the rock above Positano, with gardens, a private beach club and a shuttle into town. Le Sirenuse is also perched above Positano, with antique furniture, hand-painted ceramics and sea views over the town. Both properties have attentive staff, and the San Pietro's Michelin-starred restaurant serves food.

Mountain hotels

Forestis Dolomites is a resort in the South Tyrolean Dolomites near Bressanone, with a minimalist timber and stone design and a main building begun in 1912. Hotel Alpen Tesitin, a family-run wellness hotel in Tesido in the Puster Valley, stands above its valley. The rooms at Forestis have valley and peak views, while the Alpen Tesitin has a spa with sauna infusions and gourmet dinners.

Italian lakes and cities

Villa d'Este is a historic lakeside hotel in Cernobbio on Lake Como, set in a villa with formal gardens. The hotel has grounds, lake views and restaurants, though service and upkeep are mixed. Four Seasons Hotel Firenze occupies two Renaissance palaces in Florence, with a large private garden a short walk from the centre.