Il Salviatino

Fiesole


Hidden among cypress trees in the Fiesole hills 3.5km east of Florence, this villa is the stuff of Tuscan dreams. Italian literati gathered here in the 17th century, and today Europe's moneyed hipsters spoil themselves in the spa, lounge in the cascading infinity pool or manicured Italian gardens, and ogle at the dome of Florence's cathedral from the terrace bar.

Il Salviatino is named after the Salviati family who transformed the 14th-century villa into the ravishing, swoon-worthy 17th-century ode to luxury it is today.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Fiesole attractions

1. Cattedrale di San Romolo

1.31 MILES

Fiesole's cathedral, begun in the 11th century, stands sentry over the central square. Look out for the glazed terracotta statue of San Romolo by Giovanni…

2. Museo Bandini

1.32 MILES

The collection of early Tuscan Renaissance works inside this tiny art museum includes fine medallions by Giovanni della Robbia (c 1505–20) and Taddeo…

3. Area Archeologica

1.32 MILES

Make the Area Archeologica your first stop. A pretty site to stroll, the archaeological area ensnares an Etruscan temple (Fiesole was founded in the 7th…

4. Chiesa e Convento di San Francesco

1.4 MILES

Make your way up steep walled Via San Francesco and be blown away by the staggeringly beautiful panorama of Florence that unfolds from the terrace…

5. Museo Primo Conti

1.54 MILES

From Fiesole's central square, a 400m walk along Via Giovanni Dupré brings you to this quaint house-museum where the eponymous avant-garde 20th-century…

6. Synagogue & Jewish Museum of Florence

1.91 MILES

Built between 1874 and 1882, just after the Jewish community in Italy had gained full emancipation after centuries of persecution, this vast Moorish…

7. Giardino dei Semplici

1.93 MILES

Founded in 1545 to furnish medicine to the Medici, Florence's botanical gardens – managed today by the university – are a wonderfully peaceful retreat in…

8. Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata

1.98 MILES

Established in 1250 by the founders of the Servite order and rebuilt by Michelozzo and others in the mid-15th century, this Renaissance church is most…