In Florence, Il Salviatino is a luxury resort housed in a Renaissance villa renovated with the magical touch of its muse and hostess Alessandra Rovati Vitali, founder of the Tearose brand, who has created a cenacle of beauty here, an essential stop of the contemporary Grand Tour.
Dating back to the 14th century, the majestic residence was also nicknamed “La Sfacciata” (The Shameless) due to its dominant position over the city of Florence on top of a hill that offers one of the most beautiful views of its skyline and the dome of the Duomo.
Some of the most important families in Tuscany have taken turns in ownership, until 1531 when it was purchased by Alamanno di Averardo Salviati, a powerful ambassador to Louis XII of France, who gave it its current appearance, nicknaming it “il Salviatino” to distinguish it from Villa Salviati in Florence.
I love creating emotions and thinking of this home as a cenacle of beauty and art that I can share with my guests.
(Alessandra Rovati Vitali)
Its fame as a “cultural parlor” is mainly due to one of its last owners, the journalist and writer Ugo Ojetti who chose it as his home in 1914, having the Italian garden built, adorning it with works of art, as well as creating the beautiful library room, still today the heart of the villa and a favorite place where he invited his friends, including Salvador Dalì and Gabriele D’Annunzio.
Upon Ojetti’s death in 1946, Il Salviatino changed ownership again and in the 1980s it even became the headquarters of Stanford University and was then converted into a hotel, until 2016 when the Rovati family fell in love with it, starting a journey that would lead it to become one of the most beautiful residences in the world.
Its rebirth is due to its hostess, Alessandra Rovati Vitali, an entrepreneur, artist, and designer with the gift of making everything she encounters truly wonderful, as evidenced by the many events, installations, and scenography she created with the Tearose brand for the most important fashion brands, from Valentino to Chanel.
The interior of Il Salviatino brings together artcrafts from every era and style united by Alessandra’s refined aesthetic taste. Each object tells a story: from the rattan furniture reminiscent of early twentieth-century deco lines made by local artisans to the Rubelli fabrics that wrap the Chesterfield sofas, to the wonderful marble and Murano glass lamps custom-made for the hotel.
The rooms, each different from the other, are 39, divided between the main building with suites boasting enormous floor-to-ceiling windows and those where iron glass walls are the protagonist, such as the Ojetti Suite on the top floor and those created at the foot of the terrace in the historic greenhouses of the villa.
Each room has wonderful details of style, such as the televisions hidden inside large nineteenth-century mirrors and the bathrooms with marble furniture and walls made of antique mirrors.
A retreat that invites you to a deep sense of wellbeing, with the option to relax in the heated infinity pool overlooking the olive trees and surrounding hills with a pool bar for breaks immersed in nature, the Spa Aquae Vitali, and the romantic terrace nestled in the Italian garden.
The latter hosts the Da Giacomo Al Salviatino restaurant where chef Rudy Saderi delights guests with cuisine inspired by the great Italian tradition.
Both the restaurants and the pool are also open to non-hotel guests. In fact, every weekend is enriched by special activities by reservation, from yoga to Sunday brunch, from concerts in the garden to special dinners.
Few places in the world emanate the peace and beauty of Il Salviatino where centuries of culture and art have come together in the name of the best Italian hospitality.
The Secret
As part of the Tearose brand’s “Cultivate Art” project, in 2022 the Il Terzo Paradiso land art project was inaugurated in the Il Salviatino garden, which artist Michelangelo Pistoletto created in a botanical version with over 3,000 plants including perennials, aromatic plants, flowers, vegetable and fruit plants. The work Il Terzo Paradiso, which is based on the artist’s 2003 manifesto of the same name, symbolizes the evolutionary passage in which human intelligence finds ways to coexist with the intelligence of nature.
Useful Info
Il Salviatino
Via del Salviatino 21
50137 Firenze
Tel. +39 055 9041111
Rooms from 500 euro with breakfast included
