Ad Astra, Florence, Italy
Watching over Europe's largest privately owned city garden, the dreamy Giardino Torrigiani, this unique 'Hôtel Particulier' occupies a floor of the Marchese Torrigiani's 16th-century family home in Florence's authentic, hip Oltrarno district.
Steps from some of the city's finest eateries and shopping, and 20 minutes from the main sights, all nine individually designed rooms (seven on the first floor, and two romantic love-nests in the garden) retain a sense of history, while restored vintage pieces from the 50s, 60s, and 70s add a quirky, contemporary wit.