Oltarno Splendid
📍Florence, Italy
For our Neighbourhood Stays series our travel tastemakers uncover hotels and boltholes that ooze style whilst celebrating local. In this instalment Amira Hashish uncovers a guesthouse at its most glorious…
Neighbourhood: In Florence’s creative Oltrarno quarter— a district celebrated for its artisans and ateliers — Oltrarno Splendid offers a cultured escape above the rooftops. The surrounding streets are rich with independent studios, antique shops, vintage finds and hidden trattorias, yet just a short stroll brings you to the buzz of the city centre. This is the Florence locals love best—lived-in, layered, and charming.
What to expect: A discreet bed and breakfast by dynamic husband and wife Matteo Perduca and Betty Soldi that feels anything but ordinary. Perched on the top floors of a 16th-century palazzo, Oltrarno Splendid is a guesthouse at its most glorious. The 14 rooms are wildly varied, each telling a different story with historic frescoes, eccentric artwork, and personal design touches that feel lovingly assembled.
Community and ambience: From the moment you step inside, it is clear this is a place created by people who care deeply about the city, its past, and its future. By the same visionary team behind SoprArno, AdAstra and the most recently opened Stella d’Italia, the atmosphere is personal, thoughtful and full of quiet charisma.
It is not flashy, but it is richly expressive with the kind of charm that only comes from true creative conviction. You feel more like a guest in someone’s (very stylish) Florentine home than a visitor in a hotel.
Design details: Architect Francesco Maestrelli imagined new life into the palazzo’s layout, while Matteo Perduca — the lawyer-turned-designer behind the interiors — curated every piece, fabric, and flourish with encyclopaedic attention. Expect 200-year-old Toile de Jouy, rediscovered 18th-century frescoes, 1950s and 60s vintage finds, freestanding bathtubs beside enormous 2x2m beds, and whimsical nods to Italian pop culture, including enlarged portraits from old Lire notes.
Books and design magazines are dotted around to browse at your leisure, and in the lounge, monumental 1900s maps by famed cartographer Roberto Almagià set the scene for slow travel and thoughtful exploration.
Which room should I stay in? We stayed in one of the King Rooms, where a stunning 18th-century fresco, uncovered and painstakingly restored, stretches across the ceiling like a secret rediscovered. It is impossible not to be awed by the sense of history above your head, made all the more magical by the soft light pouring in through the tall windows.
Generous in size and brimming with personality, it is the kind of room that makes you want to linger all day—espresso in hand, gazing up in admiration. For something even more expansive, the King Deluxe Atelier offers panoramic views from what was once the studio of muse and artist Susan Nevelson.
On the menu: Mornings begin with a beautifully presented continental breakfast — expect local pastries, artisanal breads, and Florentine honey — served in the relaxed lounge area. There is an honesty bar for evening sips and plenty of recommendations for neighbourhood spots just steps away.
Local experiences: Set out from Oltrarno Splendid and you will find yourself among Florence’s finest makers: mosaicists, bookbinders, shoemakers, and silversmiths still plying their trades in backstreet workshops. The hotel celebrates this sense of discovery with an ethos inspired by the Grand Tour—inviting guests to take in the city’s splendour not just through its sights, but through its stories. Ask about Betty Soldi’s Inksperiences in her calligraphy studio, meander through Via dei Serragli, or simply sit with a Negroni and watch the world go by. Within these walls, and beyond them, this truly is Florence at its most splendid.
Book: Nightly rates start at around Euros 190, oltrarnosplendid.com