There was also an overwhelming response for Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Resorts Collection, housed in three adjacent Renaissance-era buildings in the hills just north of Florence. No expense was spared to renovate the former boarding school, chapel, and theater—and it shows. Making good use of its bones—original hand-painted frescoes remain in some suites, while views stretch from the Duomo to the Tuscan countryside—the owners have created an elegant Florentine campus, all the way down five levels of terraced Baroque gardens to a 115-foot-long outdoor pool and pool bar. The crown jewel, says Andrea Grisdale, is the Residenza la Quercia within the Palazzo Moderna, with its own private rooftop plunge pool, Duomo views, and dedicated concierge and valet. Expect great things under the visionary leadership of GM Lorenzo Maraviglia, who spent nine years leading the now-White Lotus–famous Four Seasons in Taormina. “Think candlelit jazz in the courtyard one night, truffle-scented turn-down treats the next," says Authentic Explorations. “It will be iconic for sure."
From $1,410 per night
From the article by Mark Ellwood, Laura Dannen Redman
