Press Release
Town & Country: At a Florence Hotel, Class Is Still in Session
Once a school for the Florentine uno per cento, Collegio alla Querce has graduated to a new calling.
No matter how impressive the clientele may be at Collegio alla Querce, an Auberge Resorts Collection property opening this month in Florence, the best star sightings at the hotel may already be in its past. That’s because before Collegio alla Querce was a hotel—or a boarding school popular with the Florentine elite (saluti, Signor Ferragamo), or even the private villa it once was—it was the site of a 16th-century religious vision. The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared nearby to a devotee and instructed that a house of worship be built. The resulting parish church still stands, but Collegio alla Querce’s latest incarnation seems to respond to more modern desires. Tucked behind wrought iron gates is a campus of restored 16th-century buildings that are home to 83 guestrooms, with terraced gardens, the Aelia spa, and five dining options—including a bar in what used to be the headmaster’s office. Of course, not every luxurious touch is new: Those views of the Duomo will never require an update.