Press Release
Vogue | This Idyllic New Hotel in the Hills of Florence Feels Like an Instant Classic
Upon my arrival, it didn’t take long to realize why there’s been so much chatter about this hotel, which joins a crowded marketplace for luxury stays in Florence—as far as hotel entrances go, Collegio alla Querce is an all-timer. A sweeping driveway lined with the prerequisite Tuscan cypress trees takes you down to an imposing 16th-century noble residence, the entryway framed by beds of blazing red bougainvillea and fledgling oak trees. (The “querce” of the hotel’s name refers to the soaring oak trees dotted around its terraced garden, and both oak wood itself and the motif of an oak leaf thoughtfully recur throughout the property’s decor.) The colossal scale of the property, meanwhile, is the result of its conversion in the 19th century to become a boys’ boarding school for the Florentine elite; both Salvatore Ferragamo and Stefano Ricci having studied in these hallowed halls. (One of the most charming details I would later discover? A display of memorabilia and class photographs from its former life, alongside a merch offering inspired by collegiate sporting kit: think baseball caps and sweaters embroidered with the slogan ‘Querce Sport Firenze.’ It’s nice to see a hotel put a little more effort than simply slapping a logo onto a tote bag.)
