SUMMER NOBLE ESCAPE; In the heart of the historic center, a few meters from the Duomo, from Michelangelo’s David, the Ponte Vecchio and all the wonders of Florence!

The best way to truly feel the power of this mesmerizing city is to stay in an authentic, aristocratic palazzo. There are two places that we are particularly in love with and would stay there every time we visit: Palazzo Niccolini and Palazzo Tolomei:

A unique historical residence has recently been created in this ancient private Palazzo, built in the 16th century by the Naldini’s, an important family of Florentine merchants and bankers. After careful renovation works the residence includes 4 suites, 2 juniors suites and 4 double bedrooms.

All apartments and rooms have “en suite” bathrooms, fitted in marble. The rooms preserve the fascination and prestige of an aristocratic residence, while combining these with the greatest comfort and the most updated technology.

The Palazzo – built with older houses, one of which hosted the workshop of the great sculptor Donatello (1386-1466) – is located at the corner of Piazza del Duomo, in the heart of historical Florence, at walking distance from the most famous monuments and museums and from the most important shops.

The Palazzo remained in the Naldini family until 1879, when the last descendant, Christina, married Marchese Eugenio Niccolini di Camugliano and brought The Palazzo into his family. The present owners, Filippo and Ginevra Niccolini di Camugliano, personally supervised the renovation works and oversaw the residence in all details, in order to ensure that guests are offered a top quality treatment, comparable to that of a luxury hotel.

In the 15th century, when the bronze “David” was still a dream, the Florentine sculptore Donatello had a workshop on the second floor of this impressive palazzo, now owned by Niccolini family. The decor is fittingly noble, with majestic murals and family heirlooms

Palazzo Niccolini Residenza d’Epoca

Heritage Residences are comfortable, historic houses in Tuscany that offer a warm welcome to their guests in a refined and sophisticated atmosphere. Heritage Residences that bear the brand “Residenze d’Epoca di Toscana” are members of the Associazione delle Dimore Storiche Italiane, which guarantees the high artistic and historical value of the mansions.

For those who want to touch Brunelleschi’s cupola up close, think no further. This picture shows the view from one of the palazzo rooms where you can wake up to it every morning and say your prayers every night. The feeling of being so close to this monumental basilica cannot be described for those that spend their nights reading the fascinating stories of De Medici family. Drink your cup of esspresso contemplating this view from your very bedroom. It is trully magical and enchanting, uplifting one’s spirits with all the amazing history and culture Florence has to offer.

Guests can eat delicious Italian food at the palazzo’s restaurant/terrace, located at the entrance of the building.

The residence has been completely renovated without altering the charm of the past. The large rooms, the high coffer-ed or decorated ceilings, fresco-ed walls and original furnishings immediately give the guest the dimension of Florentine culture. The bathrooms are large and comfortable and have marble finishes. The ten rooms are all different from each other, with one having frescoes and damask fabrics in mauve colors, another designed in shades of red, and even one in the perfect original empire style.

Breakfast can be served in the room or in the large living room, and satellite TV and internet access are available in all rooms, among other amenities. Private drivers and other services are also available upon request for resident customers.

Palazzo Tolomei Residenza d’Epoca – Authentic culture through another palazzo in Florence, Italy.

In the Renaissance, Raphael resided in this magnificent structure, which is now the best location to see Florence and its treasures. Within its walls, the long-standing Italian hospitality tradition finds the ideal setting. The priceless moments that greet visitors to this charming Palazzo are sleeping in the magnificent Suites with frescoes, unwinding in the rooms surrounded by works of art, and tasting delectable wines and local specialties. Every traveler wants to have a completely real and one-of-a-kind experience in Florence, and this is made possible by the city’s intensely evocative environment. Everything is set up to allow the guests’ to have an unforgettable stay, including sweets and wines that follow the well-known Tuscan tradition, which are always available in the lobby or in the rooms, as well as other items, and books.

The history of Palazzo Tolomei is inseparable from the history of an extraordinary and unique moment in the Florentine Renaissance.

The Palazzo’s first owners were the Taddeis, an old Florentine aristocratic family. Merchants of fine wool, bankers and merchants of the Medici family, the Tadei family is best known for welcoming the artist Raphael Sanzio in 1505. To thank the Taddei family for their hospitality, the great Raphael painted them two paintings – the “Madonna del Prato” which is currently located in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, and “The Holy Family”, known as “Tondo Taddei”, which can be found in the National Gallery of Scotland. Michelangelo also served the Taddei family and created “Tondo his Taddei”, now at the Royal Academy in London.

For unknown reasons, the family’s fortunes began to decline, and Antonio Taddei, the palace’s owner in the 16th century, left his descendants with large debts. In 1564 the Palazzo was sold to the Baglioni family of Perugia, and in 1620 it was passed from owner to owner until it was purchased by the Chiaro family. Because of this family, and in particular because of Leon Battista del Chiaro, a very refined and ambitious person, we can still find decorations and admire their splendor up to today.

Leon Battista Del Chiaro was a very wealthy and famous merchant who wanted to raise the profile of his family with an important wedding. His bride was the daughter of Giovan Giorgio Ugolini, a noble Florentine Marquis of fame and ancient blood. For this special event, the most famous artists of the time were invited to decorate and renovate the Palazzo on Via Ginori. Alessandro Gherardini and Giuseppe Nicola Nasini, famous and highly sought-after painters, were commissioned to paint frescoes in the sumptuous halls and salons. Giovan Battista Ciceri was responsible for the plastering and decoration of all the floors of the Palazzo, including the sumptuous frames and panels. Giovanni Baratta was commissioned to create the statue of Diana, which still welcomes visitors in the 14th-century courtyard, and the statue of Hercules for the main staircase of the palace.

On the evening of May 27, 1645, at the end of the wedding festivities, Leon Battista del Chiaro ushered his bride, Maria Ugolini, into a sumptuous palace. As luck would have it, it was this “noble lady” who ended up bringing financial ruin to the family, adopting a lifestyle completely beyond her husband’s financial capabilities. Parties and balls, clothes and decorations of the highest order, luxury and whims. The couple had no children and had to sell furniture and paintings to keep the disgruntled woman in luxury.

After the death of Pia Giovanni, the last brother of the Delchiaro sold the palace to Neri Tolomei in 1664. The Del Chiaro family died out at the time when art and pomp was at its peak. The Tolomei family was also a wealthy family of silk merchants – so wealthy that in the late 13th century the family built an elegant tomb for themselves in the beautiful church of Santo Stefano al Ponte, in the heart of Florence.

The most famous member of the family was Piero Tolomei, the son of Guccio Tolomei, known for his “spicy” adventures that made headlines at the time. Guccio seems to have been sent on an important political mission, but neglected his duty, preferring instead to spend time with the “beautiful maiden”. The Medici family protected them and at the height of their prosperity they bought the palazzo on Via Ginori for only 425 scudos. This marriage was a manifestation of the Tolomei family power. They further restored and decorated the Palazzo, concentrating on the bedrooms and small halls which we are now able to admire as well. The seventeenth century was a time of wealth and honor for the Tolomei family, and in 1823 another Neri Tolomei married Prince Tommaso’s daughter Luisa to his Princess Corsini. However, after a huge success, came a decline. In 1850 the Palazzo was sold to Marquis Giovanni Garzoni Venturi, and the Tolomei family died out soon after.