Together with the Concierge Team of the legendary 5-star hotel, let’s discover The Excelsior, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Florence, a charming grand hotel that has been a protagonist in every phase of Italian beauty, from the Renaissance to the present day.

It’s a great privilege to discover The Excelsior, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Florence, an icon of Italian hospitality, which reopened after major renovations in July 2025, alongside the hotel’s concierges, custodians of the city’s most coveted “secrets.”

Our tour of the history of the “Excelsior,” as its regular guests call it, begins in the beautiful Piazza Ognissanti, nestled between the Arno River and the church of the same name. This square was once part of a convent of Benedictine monks, who during the 13th century began building homes around it for their workers, thus creating what was later called the Borgo di Ognissanti.

When you enter a hotel room and close the door, you know there’s a secret, a luxury, a fantasy. There’s comfort. There’s reassurance.

(Diane von Furstenberg)

Over time, and during the Renaissance, many noble families began building their palaces there, including the Boccaccios, the Vespuccis, and the Portinaris. Near the hotel’s elevators in the beautiful lobby, you can admire a reproduction of Francesco Rosselli’s famous 1480 map of Florence, which depicts Piazza Ognissanti as it then appeared, surrounded by numerous noble buildings.

The Excelsior’s history took a turn in 1832, when the main building that comprises it today was purchased by Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon’s sister and widow of Joachim Murat, former King of Naples. She renovated it with the help of architect Giuseppe Martelli, and it was renamed Palazzo Bonaparte.

Some of the hotel’s Empire-style decorations date back to this period, such as the beautiful archway with classical columns that can still be seen today at the entrance to the Library.

Later, thanks to the phenomenon of the Grand Tour and the birth of “tourism,” Palazzo Bonaparte was transformed into the Hotel de La Ville, while the adjacent building became the Hotel d’Italie, whose names and different architectural styles can still be seen engraved on the facades when viewed from the Arno River.

Another important chapter in the hotel’s history began in 1883, when the Kraft family purchased the Hotel d’Italie and, in 1910, the Hotel de la Ville, merging them in 1927 under the name Excelsior Italia.

During these years, the hotel was renovated and enriched with many of the decorations we still see today, such as the mosaic at the entrance, created by Castaman of Murano and depicting a peach tree in bloom, which was rediscovered during the latest renovations, much to everyone’s surprise.

Other beautiful original decorations that have survived include the skylight in the Library Room and the stained-glass windows in the Donatello Bar, designed by Ezio Giovannozzi.

In 1958, the property was acquired by CIGA (Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi), the first luxury hotel chain in Italy, as evidenced by the distinctive fabric and brass tassel keys that distinguished the group’s properties, each a different color.

When open, the tour concludes in style at the Church of Ognissanti, where, closely linked to the Palace, you can visit the chapel built to house Caroline Bonaparte upon her death, as well as the tombs of Sandro Botticelli and Amerigo Vespucci, the grandfather of the famous navigator, as well as a splendid wooden crucifix by Giotto.

And now, once the tour is over, it’s time to relax in one of the 171 rooms and suites at The Excelsior, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Florence, many with views or balconies overlooking the Arno River. You can also book dinner at Cosimo, the hotel’s top-floor bar and restaurant, offering a breathtaking 360° view—unique in Florence—of the city’s historic monuments and the rolling Tuscan hills.

The Secret

A Kraft family heiress often comes to the Excelsior to admire the mosaic in the foyer and reminisce about the times when the concierge desk was there and she used to play by jumping on the beautiful floor decorated with geometric marble figures.

Useful Info

The Excelsior, A Luxury Collection Hotel
Piazza Ognissanti 3
50123 Firenze
Tel. +39 390 5527151

Rooms: from €500 with breakfast

The Destination Discovery Tour with the concierge is free for hotel guests. Contact the hotel for any guided tours.