About Art Hotel Villa Agape
About the hotel
Where: Torre del Gallo 8, 50125, Florence
What: Art Hotel Villa Agape is a Renaissance villa on the terrace of Piazzale Michelangelo, with views of the Florentine hills. It was a private estate until recently, when it was turned into a hotel. Because of this, the hotel feels fresh and revitalised without losing its historic charm. It is a 4 star hotel.
Room type: Junior Suite (Annex)
What you will find here
Here you’ll find my honest Art Hotel Villa Agape review. We stayed two nights at the Art Hotel Villa Agape while staying in Florence during the height of summer. For full transparency we paid for our stay at the hotel and this is my personal experience and opinion. You can learn all about how I assess hotels here.
What is there to do in Florence
Um, so much. If you’re not aware, I absolutely love Tuscany and will talk to anyone who will listen to me about how amazing it is. Between the Tuscan food, Duomo di Firenze, Pitti Palace, and the Renaissance art and architecture at Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio, you’ll have plenty to see and do. I have a photo diary of Florence and my favourite places to take photos in Florence for you to read!
The look
The hotel looks like something out of a fairytale. Art Hotel Villa Agape has major boutique vibes and feels like a grand home. The garden looks out over Florence and feels far away and quiet but it also walkable (I don’t recommend walking up the hill though, thats a killer in summer).
The Room
We stayed in the Junior Suite at Art Hotel Villa Agape. Our room was located in the annex on the top floor and had views of the main hotel and the garden. There were also views on the opposite side of the room of a smaller garden, so it really felt quite secluded and there were no issues with noise. It was spacious, and included a separate bath and shower. There was plenty of room to put our massive suitcase down without tripping over it, and use the suitcase stand to hold our smaller suitcase. The staff brought our bags up for us too, so we didn’t have to bring them to the room.
The Service
One of the great things about Art Hotel Villa Agape is that they have a shuttle service (from 9.00 a.m.-1.00 p.m. / 4.00 p.m.-8.00 p.m.) to the city, which makes it so much easier to get to and from the city from the hotel.
The Food & Drink
Vegan options at Art Hotel Villa Agape
We did not eat at the hotel restaurant during our stay as we just didn’t have time, but there were great vegan options for breakfast. They had vegan croissants, vegan yoghurt, and will make you a coffee with plant-based milk. Overall, I thought the breakfast was the best one that I had at an Italian hotel!
The Facilities
Rooms
All the rooms have air-conditioning, minibars, wifi, and flat-screen TVs.
Restaurant
There is a restaurant, La Duchessa, on-site that offers authentic Tuscan food and is open every evening. La Duchessa also caters to dietary needs like coeliacs, vegetarians and vegans. There is also a lounge bar, La Limonaia.
Spa
I remember there being two jacuzzis in the garden that you can use but I couldn’t find anything on their website about this and now I feel like I made it up in a dream.
The Location
The location is perfect if you’re looking to get that Tuscan vibe of rolling hills but still want to be able to get into the heart of Florence easily. The grounds are massive and the sprawling olive trees are wonderful to wander through on a summer’s morning.
The only downside of being so far away is that you have to rely on the shuttle. The shuttle is super convenient during service hours, but if you go into Florence for dinner on a balmy summer’s night, you can easily find yourself having to look for a cab after the what seems like endless sun finally sets. Sounds easy, right? Except it’s not. Italy cabs are notorious for being unreliable and one night the app just didn’t work. We called the hotel and asked the reception if they could order a taxi but they said they couldn’t request one to the street (we had already left the restaurant).
So if you’re planning to stay out late at night make sure you ask the restaurant to order you a taxi before you leave if you’re unable to order one yourself. We ended up walking back to the hotel which honestly wasn’t so bad – about 30 minutes. However it is uphill and after a full day of walking I was ready to collapse by the time I arrived back at the hotel. The view of the city lights at night from the hill was amazing, though!
How to book art Hotel Agape
My favourite way to book hotels is through Booking.com. Booking.com offers a price guarantee (even when not paying upfront and paying at the hotel), they match prices, and they also offer a wide range of rooms with benefits (like afternoon tea and breakfast). Click to see the availability for Art Hotel Agape.
VERDICT
My Grade:
4/5
You can learn all about how I assess hotels here.
High point of my stay:
The convenience of being close yet feeling far away.
Low point of my stay:
Walking up the hill when we couldn’t get a taxi.
Who would love to stay at Art Hotel Agape
I loved it, and would definitely return to this gorgeous boutique hotel. I would probably visit in Spring or Autumn next time, as personally I’m more of a pool girl when it is 30 degrees outside! I noticed a lot of couples at this hotel who were similar ages to my partner and I (we are in our 30s). This hotel is very picturesque so it’s perfect for someone who likes to get dressed up, wander the gardens, and have a more relaxed holiday. It is also very romantic, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the guests were here for an important event like an anniversary.
Thanks for reading!
I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’re on Instagram, you can find me over here: @apicturesquelife and I’d be happy to connect!
xoxo,
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