Grand Hotel Villa Cora

This elegant villa was built in 1868 by Baron Oppenheim for his wife and later purchased by Napoleon III’s widow, the Empress Eugenié; it is one of the most opulent of the splendid villas that stand on the hillside to the south of the city.

It reopened in 2010 as a stylish hotel combining elegant furnishings with personal service. It has a peaceful setting in its own rose-filled gardens above the tree-lined avenue that winds its way up the hill from Porta Romana, the southern gate into the old city. Piazzale Michelangelo, a classic viewpoint over the city, is 10 minutes’ walk uphill and just above that stands the Romanesque church of San Miniato. There are 30 rooms in the main villa and 14 in the ‘villino’ Eugenia, the former stables which also houses the spa. Rooms overlook the large heated swimming pool or the gardens and are beautifully furnished with restored period furniture and art from the family’s eclectic private collection. Public rooms feature trompel’oeil frescoes, decorative stucco, parquet floors and elaborate chandeliers. The ‘Le Bistrot’ restaurant occupies the splendid Sala Moresca in winter, and moves poolside in the warmer months. A complimentary shuttle operates from 9am to 9pm, stopping at key points in the city.