It was the sound below I noticed first. The distant clatter of cutlery from a trattoria, a Vespa purring around a corner, church bells marking the hour with gentle insistence. And yet up here on the balcony, it was still. Then, the view: the Duomo, honey-lit by the late afternoon sun, so close it felt like I could lean out and touch its terracotta crown. From the panoramic suite at Helvetia & Bristol, Florence doesn’t just feel nearby – it feels yours.
This is no small feat. In a city that swells with espresso-fuelled sightseers and Botticelli worshippers from May through September, finding peace, let alone privacy, can feel like cracking the Da Vinci Code. But Helvetia & Bristol is proof that a central location doesn’t have to mean chaotic.
The Art of Arrival
At first glance, Helvetia & Bristol doesn’t shout. Tucked just off the bustle of Via dei Pescioni, its entrance is marked not by fanfare but by a quiet confidence – a pair of impeccably gloved doormen, and the subtle hush that falls when one steps from a crowded street into a slower, older world.
This hotel is, quite literally, the birthplace of luxury hospitality in Florence. When it first opened in the late 19th century, it became the historic centre’s first luxury hotel and an instant address of note; hosting an international cast of aristocrats, artists, and royals drawn to Florence’s Grand Tour glamour.
In 2021, it underwent a painstaking restoration, not to modernise it out of memory, but to revive its grandeur for a new era. The Helvetia wing, the hotel’s original soul, is a tribute to old-world grandeur. Think restored silk wall hangings (courtesy of Antico Setificio Fiorentino, the city’s historic silk workshop), antique oil paintings, and white Carrara marble bathrooms so pristine they seem lit from within. This is where you’ll find the grandest suites.
Across the courtyard, the newer Bristol wing, designed by Anouska Hempel, adds 25 rooms and offers a more tailored, minimalist counterpoint – oak floors, pale greys, clean lines, and velvets softening the edges. Now part of The Leading Hotels of the World collection, it delivers on the group’s reputation for turning hospitality into an art form.
The Suite Life
My home for the weekend was the Panoramic Suite Helvetia. It feels less like a hotel room and more like a private Florentine residence. A graceful hallway leads into a generously sized bedroom with a bed that might reasonably be described as cloud-adjacent.
There are two gleaming marble bathrooms, ideal for unhurried mornings or post-sightseeing soaks. A few steps lead to a separate living room framed by antique furnishings and curated artworks. But the star of the show is the balcony: a serene perch with front-row views of the Duomo’s iconic dome, close enough to count its tiles.
For those seeking ultimate exclusivity, both suites can be booked together, privatizing the entire fifth floor.
A Gateway to the City
From Helvetia & Bristol, you’re poised for exploration. The Duomo is a three-minute stroll, the Uffizi barely five. Via de’ Tornabuoni, lined with Ferragamo, Gucci, and discreet little ateliers, just around the corner.
One evening, I headed out on a sunset food and wine tour with Eating Europe. Less a tour, more a roving dinner party, this wander through Florence’s less-touristed corners in a small group offered access I wouldn’t have had alone. We ducked into family-run wine bars and behind anonymous doors. We sipped Tuscan reds in a frescoed backroom known only to locals.
The key perk? Skipping the queue at one of Florence’s now-famous “wine windows”. The windows, made internationally iconic by Stanley Tucci’s documentary ‘Searching for Italy’ can be so popular that queues snake down the street. These centuries-old hatches were originally designed in the 17th century as a way for noble families to sell wine directly from their palazzi while avoiding taxes and, later, the plague. They’ve had a renaissance in recent years – thanks, in part, to Covid-era distancing and their Instagrammable charm.
While a private Eating Europe tour can be arranged, joining a small group adds a convivial layer – half the fun is clinking glasses with strangers-turned-tour-companions over a chunk of Parmigiano and a glass of Chianti.
Dining & Drinking
That said, you could happily dine your way through Tuscany without ever leaving the hotel. At Helvetia & Bristol’s on-site restaurant, Cibrèo Ristorante, you can expect seasonal, earthy dishes. Think zucchini flowers stuffed with sheep’s milk ricotta, an 11-month aged cheese risotto finished with beef jus, or seafood stew. Not to mention a heaven-sent Cacio E Burro – essentially Cacio e Pepe with butter replacing the pepper, and infinitely more delicious.
Order a negroni sbagliato (you’re in Florence, after all), and sink into a velvet chair to watch the theatre of the city unfold through the glass doors.
Breakfast is served in the stunning ‘Winter Garden’ where a magnificent buffet is laid out on an oval table; sweet and savoury goodies include melting pastries by master pastry chef Igenio Massari (who has an outlet next door), a good selection of yogurt, cereal and fresh fruit, smoked salmon, local cheeses and charcuterie plus eggs and bacon.
Spa
Few hotels in Italy can claim a Roman thermal bath complex beneath their foundations. Helvetia & Bristol can. The subterranean ‘LA SPA’, is a sensorial escape that blends ancient tradition with sleek, modern design. It’s the biggest spa in the historical center of Florence at 540 sqm.
There’s a tepidarium, a Finnish sauna, and a salt room softly lit like a Caravaggio painting. Here, relaxation is approached with the same devotion Botticelli brought to The Birth of Venus.
Checking All the Right Boxes
Helvetia & Bristol is the kind of place where elegance is whispered in the details: the turn-down chocolates before bed, the way your morning cappuccino arrives with exactly the right amount of foam, the gentle hum of the city filtering through silk curtains.
Yes, this is a luxury hotel in a city full of them. But the hotel is not just a base – it’s part of the story. It’s where you come not just to see Florence, but to live in it for a while – deeply, deliciously, and with a fizzing flute and plush robe waiting for you when you’re done.
