For a city renowned for Renaissance art and blessed with masterpieces like Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, it is only fitting that you would book in to stay at an art-focused palatial hotel like Dimora Palanca when visiting Florence. You can live like a noble Tuscan family, but with all the modern-home comforts at this artsy boutique hotel brimming with character.
The location is both a negative and a positive for the hotel. It is situated by the ring road where the old city walls used to be, hence it isn’t right in the thick of the action in the old city. However, it does mean this former villa is set across approximately 1,600 square meters in total, including a private, fenced-off garden, which is a rarity in Florence.
Hotel
The owners have paid great attention to blending the old, classical architecture with modern Italian artistic sensibilities. The ceiling frescoes are as ornate as you will find in any museum in the city. Tuscan pavé flooring, majestic columns and exquisite marble floors and wrought iron handrails add a sense of occasion when you amble around the hotel.
Discovering the various hidden corners of the hotel is part of the joy of staying there. The drawing room combines modern artwork from Dovichi with original white stuccoes. Whilst the chess room is another great recreational space, complete with an original second-floor viewing balcony and lounge seating that is notoriously hard to escape from. The highlight, however, is the hall and bistro with great use of natural daylight and a statement floral chandelier that captures your attention the moment you step into the space.
Room
No two rooms are the same at Dimora Palanca, but what you do share is that immersive experience of staying at a refined nineteenth-century residence. You’ll enjoy high ceilings and rooms bathed in glorious sunlight and most with views of the famous domes of Florence.
Marbled bathrooms are to be expected especially in Florence, but the real standout is their sensory showers with chromotherapy including seating space. You are also provided with fluffy bathrobes and slippers and luxury bathroom amenities from Lorenzo Villoresi. And they do enjoy setting the scene at the hotel, so you may notice gentle classical music playing from the hallways before you sleep and after you wake up.
Food and drink
Their gourmet restaurant, Mimesi, led by talented executive chef Giovanni Cerroni, is one of those institutions you think will be destined for Michelin stardom. The gastronomic experience starts right at the beginning of the day with one of the most extensive breakfast menus you’ll discover in town. Provenance is key here, they’ll explain that the mushrooms in your omelette are from Amiata and you’ll find options you might not have heard of like eggs Mollet. This is when eggs are boiled in water for a longer amount of time than soft-cooked eggs, but not as long as hard-cooked eggs.
Lunch is on the light and healthier side of things, but with a distinctive Mimesi touch, so you’ll get a Caesar salad embellished with red prawns and miso mayonnaise. The evening is when you can experience the pièce de résistance and taste the art. Giovanni’s tasting menu boldly embraces local organic products including eggs of the Valdarno black hen, black cabbage, the Certaldo onion, and Tuscan Pecorino cheese. With only 20 covers, you are guaranteed to get maximum attention whether you are savouring the five, seven or nine-course tasting menu with wine-pairing options.
To do
It is all about the bespoke experiences. The hotel’s talented concierge team can arrange for pasta-making classes at the world-renowned Cordon Bleu cooking school in the city. You can enjoy a contemporary wine-tasting experience at MonteRosola winery and sample their award-winning red and white wines. Or for something slightly more unique to the region, try an adventurous truffle-hunting tour with Savini Tartufi and explore the scenic Tuscan countryside. They can also arrange hot air balloon rides or trips around the countryside on a Vespa or vintage 500 Fiat. The only limitation will be your imagination.
In a nutshell
You can live the life of an Italian noble at Dimora Palanca where art and gastronomy are literally at your fingertips. Look out for their restaurant Mimesi to be a shining bright star in the Michelin-guide in the not-too-distant future.
Factbox
Dimora Palanca offers rooms from €362 per night.
Address: Via Della Scala, 72, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Phone: +39 055 031 7816
Email: contact@dimorapalanca.com
Website: dimorapalanca.com
