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Though the hotel is nothing special, if you get a room on the front or left side you will open your shutters on to a postcard view of the Leaning Tower, a mere stone’s throw away. Only half the rooms have A/C, however.

This Renaissance villa just 7km (4 miles) south of Florence became a hotel in 1953, since when everyone from Churchill to Madonna has lodged here. Tennis courts, a pool and a Tuscan restaurant overlooking the Arno justify its celebration. Closed 15 Nov–Mar.

This elegant villa was once the court of the Duke of Lucca. The rooms are large and comfortable, and the swimming pool and garden make for a relaxing getaway.

The classiest place to stay on Elba, especially if you have a room in the original 19th-century villa. But even the 1970s main building has plenty of terraces with sea views. There’s also a small pool, tennis court and water sports equipment.

This much-altered former monastery has hosted the likes of Galileo and Petrarch. It has an outdoor pool and decent restaurant, all immersed in a park on the outskirts of Florence.

Isolated villa on a thickly forested stretch of Chianti roadside. Spacious rooms feature beamed ceilings and (for those on the front) access on to two large terraces. There’s a pool, trails through the woods and excellent set dinners on the terrace in summer.

Michelangelo is said to have designed the façade on this monastery between Florence and Fiesole. Only doubles inhabit the original building, with the sumptuous suites hiding in half-buried wings overlooking the terraced gardens and pool.

Just outside Siena in hilly parkland and located in a 19th-century villa overlooking the city walls, this hotel has spacious rooms, including three luxury suites. Meals are served on the terraces. There is also a pool and tennis courts.

This villa (where Mona Lisa was born, see Greve in Chianti, Villa Vignamaggio) and its surrounding cottages form the most sumptuous agriturismo in Tuscany. The rooms are painted in strong colours, and the gardens were featured in the film Much Ado About Nothing . Tennis courts and two pools round it out. The apartments have A/C, Jacuzzi tubs and cooking facilities. Minimum two nights.

The top address in town, a bastion of luxury and refinement on the Arno. The room furnishings are opulent and there are few amenities the hotel lacks or services it cannot provide. Try for an Arno-side room.