Our hotel in Florence was Hotel Spadai Firenze (spadai means sword-makers in Italian), hence a pair of swords above the entrance. We love this 4-star boutique hotel and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone visiting Florence.
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The hotel features a humble yet modern entrance adorned with two planters. Next to it, a café proudly advertises its longevity, proclaiming to have been in operation since 1922, making it a century-old establishment?! We did not have a chance to patronize the café, nor did we venture into the neighboring tobacconist (which is a local version of the corner store like 7-11). During the evenings, a lively gathering of people drinking coffee outside these establishments always fostered a welcoming ambiance.
The reason we picked this hotel was its central location, an important criteria for us in choosing lodgings generally. The hotel is only about 100 meters from the Florence Cathedral (Duomo). We were standing in front of the Duomo within 15 minutes of checking in at the hotel !
The hotel is on Via de Martelli in front of Palazzo Medici Riccardi (a Renaissance cultural site), and no more than 500 meters from other major sights like Piazza della Signoria (see our post), Galleria degli Uffizi (the Uffizi) and Ponte Vecchio.
Upon entering the hotel, at the end of a long corridor was the reception counter behind which was an enlarged photo of the right hand of the iconic David sculpture (more on Michelangelo’s masterpiece in a later post).
Our room was comfortable and quiet despite the busy neighborhood. It was not a “room with a view” but we could see the street below. Soundproofing is thankfully effective. We had lived the annoying experience of a centrally-located Parisian Airbnb unit where we could not sleep every night until the activities on the street subsided after 2 am.
The bathroom was modern and supplied with their brand of toiletries. They actually have a spa, but we didn’t bother with it because there was so much more stuff to do outside.
Housed in a stately historical building, the hotel opened in 2015. The interior decorations blended conservative colors with a contemporary touch. The public area where we were treated with drinks and snacks as a welcome gift, was cozy but not cluttered.
Breakfast was served on the top floor, and the buffet service was wonderfully attentive (covid restriction applied). On one plate, there were 12 different kinds of fruits and we received one piece of each.
The floors are connected by a stairwell lined by monochrome photographs of celebrated Florentine sculptures which had been artfully deconstructed, highlighting the city’s artistic legacy. The lights on the walls were adorned each with a sword as a tribute to the hotel’s namesake. Some of the “balustrades” for the stairs use architectural glass (like those used in Apple stores) while some are originals made of iron balusters and wooden rail.
The pièce de résistance is the antique cast iron spiral staircase that is gracefully wrapped in curved glass panels that form a ribbon on the outside. The elegant and compact stairs connect the uppermost floor to a glass-enclosed observation deck at the very top of the hotel.
The observation deck offered a truly amazing 360 degree view of the tiled rooftops of central Florence, including the Duomo dome and campanile which were even prettier at night.
So there was a room with a view at this hotel after all.
Back to the lobby… from inside the hotel looking out, we observed a gathering of policemen next to a parked van marked “CARABINIERI” – they belong to a branch of the military whose duty includes public security and they work in parallel to the regular state police (Polizia di Stato).
They maintain a daily presence at this location because it is at the perimeter of a pedestrian-only zone in the heart of Florence. Although we were not aware of any threat of terrorist activity, we felt secure while exploring the city’s various crowded tourist destinations.
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