A Gorgeous 14-suite Italian Hotel Just Opened in a Restored Palace in Florence-and We Were the First to Stay

"It's easy to walk right past the door of The James Suite Hotel Firenze 1564. Set on a narrow, mostly residential street, a few blocks from teeming Piazza del Duomo amid Florence's sea of arched doorways, green-painted shutters, and stoic façades, its modest exterior appears fairly unremarkable. But any trace of anonymity vanishes once you cross its threshold. The James is quite possibly the sexiest, most interesting new address in the city."

"The James is intimate, and its scale is more akin to a private residence; that's what it was for centuries. The palace that now houses the hotel was built in 1564 as the home of the Cavagnari family. Today, family scion James Cavagnari, an award-winning architect, has transformed his childhood home into a space that still feels like a private residence, albeit one where the owners have exquisite taste and an eye for blending eclectic design elements."

The James Suite Hotel Firenze 1564 occupies a modest exterior on a narrow residential street a few blocks from Piazza del Duomo. The hotel opened in May as part of the Manfredi Collection, which includes Palazzo Manfredi in Rome and the clifftop Punta Tragara Hotel in Capri. The palace was built in 1564 for the Cavagnari family and now functions as an intimate hotel of 14 suites. James Cavagnari, an award-winning architect and family scion, transformed his childhood home into a private-residence-like space with eclectic, bespoke furnishings and refined, thought-provoking luxury that remains warm and inviting.

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