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The views from Fiesole are famous, but the panorama from the Bellosguardo hill above the Oltrarno is better, a close-up sweep of the Florence skyline from the gardens and pool of an evocatively medieval retreat. The central tower contains a suite featuring unsurpassed views in four directions.

The palazzo is 12th-century, but the rooms (some medium-sized, others cramped) are modern and comfy. The 12 “panoramic” rooms feature Duomo views, including a small top-floor double with windows on three sides and sweeping vistas.

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.

Now being refurbished to three-star status, the Bigallo has long been famous among the Florence budget-conscious for its views of the Duomo group. The only drawback is the noise of pedestrians on the streets below.

Pick your view at this hotel – a cinematographers’ favourite (it appeared in Tea with Mussolini and Where Angels Fear to Tread ). Rooms at the front open onto a piazza that supports San Gimignano’s famous towers. Those at the back drink in a view of vineyards and hills.

While most rooms in this converted 1280 palazzo don’t have great views, the lofty terrace bar has an unbeatable panorama across Florence.

Only the eight rooms at the back enjoy the best view in town: cliff-hugging houses to one side and a slope down to Tuscany’s countryside to the other. This hotel adds a touch of class to the rusticity.

A small hilltop hotel of comfy mini-apartments. The garden has the best views of Renaissance masterpiece Tempio di San Biagio; all rooms have rural vistas.

The best of both worlds: a gorgeous beach-side villa, plus access, via an under-the-road tunnel, to the modern hotel Augustus, with its pool, restaurant and live music club.

The only decent lodging in Livorno is right on the harbourfront, and its best rooms overlook Pietro Tacca’s Monument of the Four Moors and the busy port beyond. Guest rooms are well-appointed, if uninspired, and there’s a small fitness centre and spa.