7 Remarkable And Unique Places To Stay In Italy

Forbes

08-05-2025

For the millions of travelers who visit each year, Italy offers thousands of hotels, B&Bs, agriturismos, and rental options ranging from from haute to humble, and reaching from the country's Alpine North to southernmost Sicily. If you want to look beyond traditional lodging for a memorable holiday in an unforgettable setting, here are seven options to check out. These remarkable and unique places to stay in Italy, which include rustic getaways, palace apartments, and even a Palladian villa, come with impressive histories, and often reasonable prices.
San Fruttuoso, known for its historic abbey, is located near Portofino in Liguria.
A bedroom in Casa de Mar.
A few miles from jet-set favorite Portofino, San Fruttuoso offers a very different kind of Riviera experience. In this coastal hideaway, you'll find a photogenic, rustic fishing village, an exquisite tiny cove beach, and a significant medieval abbey (Abbazia di San Fruttuoso), dating from the 10th century. Reachable by hiking paths or boat (and regularly scheduled ferries from nearby towns like Camogli and Rapallo), San Fruttuoso, although busy during the day, becomes an escape-from-it-all retreat in the evening (the village has a population of less than 40).
You can enjoy the tranquil setting in a restored two-bedroom, two-level fisherman's cottage called Casa de Mar with sea views, a terrace and tiny garden. The property is managed by FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano), a non-profit dedicated to preserving Italy's natural and cultural assets. Book through the The Landmark Trust, the U.K. organization devoted to the conservation and preservation of historic properties.
The facade of the Palazzo Lanza Tomasi, which dates from the 17th century.
The living area in Apartment 9, one of the deluxe lodging options in the Palazzo Lanza Tomasi. It has sweeping views of the Bay of Palermo.
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, the author of The Leopard, a novel focusing on the Sicilian aristocracy's decline at the time of Italy's unification, is among the best-selling books in Italian history. (Luchino Visconti directed the now iconic film, Il Gattopardo, and Netflix recently debuted a series, The Leopard, both based on the novel.) The writer, a Sicilian nobleman, lived the final years of his life in Palazzo Lanza Tomasi, a grand 17th-century landmark in the Kalsa district of central Palermo.
He bequeathed the palazzo to his relative and adoptive son, Gioacchino Lanza Tomasi, the Duke of Palma, who with his wife Nicoletta Polo, undertook the restoration of the historic structure. On the piano nobile floor there are rooms that serve as a museum to the famous writer's legacy containing his personal library and works, including the manuscript for Il Gattopardo.
Apartments ranging in size from studios to two bedrooms, all with kitchens and some with sea views, are located on various floors of the palazzo and are available to book for self-catering holidays. Nicoletta Polo Lanza Tomasi holds highly regarded Sicilian cooking classes in the palazzo called 'A Day Cooking with the Duchess,' which includes a tour of Palermo's famous Il Capo food market and the preparation of a multi-course meal. The lunch in then served in the palazzo dining room. For more information: Palazzo Lanza Tomasi.
The Blue Salon in the Palazzo Conte Federico.
A bedroom in the Busuemi apartment.
The Palazzo Conte Federico is one of Palermo's oldest dwellings, with a 12th century Arab-Norman tower reflecting a unique medieval architectural style blending Eastern and Western design elements. (The Normans not only conquered England in 1066, they came to rule Sicily in roughly the same time period after they seized power from the island's Muslim overlords.)
Today, the palace is owned by Conte Alessandro Federico, whose family history also runs very deep; he is a descendant of the Sicilian ruler, Frederick II (1194-1250). Alessandro, his wife Alwine, and their sons live in the historic dwelling, which lies in the centro storico with many of Palermo's attractions within walking distance.
Tours of the palace are given in Italian and English by a family member up to four times a day (except Wednesday). There's a lot to see: splendid architectural and decorative elements spanning centuries of Sicilian style, with striking marble staircases, a frescoed ballroom, antique tiled floors, chandeliers and fireplaces, and a rich assortment of period furniture. In one section of the palazzo are apartments that can be booked for holiday stays, ranging in size from studios to two-rooms with kitchenettes or kitchens; a number of them have balconies or terraces. For more information: Palazzo Conte Federico.
Villa Saraceno was built in the mid-1500s by Andrea Palladio.
A sitting room with frescoes.
Andrea Palladio's villas, built for the Venetian nobility in the 1500s, are among Italy's most valuable Renaissance landmarks (they are listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site). While a number of these villas are open to the public for visits, Villa Saraceno, owned and restored by The Landmark Trust, allows you to stay on for a (minimum four-night) holiday. Built over a decade (1545-55), this splendid country retreat near Vicenza is about an hour's drive from Venice. A large three-story residence with eight bedrooms, sleeping 16, and six bathrooms, the villa is well-suited for a multi-generation family trip. Among the unique highlights are the frescoes found in the main entrance hall, sitting room and loggia. For more information: The Landmark Trust.
Isola Bella
The Delfino Suite, Ortensia.
The Via Stretta apartment.
The Borromeo Islands, a stunning archipelago floating majestically on the shimmery blue waters of Lake Maggiore, are an exceptional highlight of Italy's Lakes District. The best-known of the islands is Isola Bella, home to the lavishly baroque Palazzo Borromeo, which took four centuries to complete, and is now an important art museum. (The palazzo's elaborate Italian gardens are widely considered among the most beautiful in the world.) Until recently, a visit to Isola Bella meant a day trip, but Terre Borromeo, the company that oversees the archipelago with the Borromeo family, introduced a collection of apartments and suites for overnight (and longer) stays.
Two of the dwellings, which can accommodate three to seven people, are located in the palazzo's former guest house, dating from the 1700s, where you'll also find Terre Borromeo's Delfino Restaurant. Other suites are found in nearby fishing cottages, refurbished in classic modern style. The properties were designed to take in the island's impressive views and include kitchens. For more information: Terre Borromeo.
Casa Guidi, where the famous Victorian-era poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning once lived.
The Brownings' former apartment is located in a 15th-century palazzo near the Pitti Palace in Florence.
If you like to seek out places where literary greats once vacationed (e.g., Ernest Hemingways at the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees in Stresa, F. Scott Fitzgerald at the villa that's now the Hotel Belle-Rives in Juan-les-Pins), you'll want to consider a booking at Casa Guidi, the Florentine home of two of the 19th century's most celebrated writers, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning (who famously wrote, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways'). A few steps from the Pitti Palace, the first-floor apartment in a historic 15th-century palazzo, spans ten rooms with three bedrooms accommodating up to five people.
Once owned by the Browning Institute, the residence was transferred to Eton College in the early 1990s; Eton worked with the Landmark Trust to restore and refurbish it to reflect the way the rooms looked when the Brownings lived there. The couple made Casa Guidi their home in Florence for 14 years, a time when they produced some of their finest work. For more information: The Landmark Trust.
The Masseria ls located outside Toritto, a town that lies between Bari and Matera.
Located roughly midway between the Bari airport and Matera, one of southern Italy's most popular destinations, the Masseria Pilapalucci in Toritto resembles a small castle, with high stone walls, an ancient courtyard and a barrel-vaulted dining room that suggests a medieval banqueting hall.
The 16th-century masseria is owned by Emilia D'Urso, a descendant of one of Toritto's most prominent families and founder of the Slow Food Presidium, 'Mandorla di Toritto,' which sustainably produces prized gourmet almonds. She manages the farm estate with her husband Domenico Viti, an agriculture professor, whose ancestors played a historic role in the nearby city of Altamura.
The dining area, set for a cooking class.
You're guaranteed a restful stay at the masseria (Italian for farm house), set amid hectares of almond and olive groves (Toritto is several miles away). The property includes a bed and breakfast with four double bedrooms and one family suite with two bedrooms, furnished with antiques and linens produced in Southern Italy. All the rooms open onto a large stone terrace, which can be used for dining or sunbathing. (There is also a plunge pool.) A lower-level terrace serves as the dining area in good weather. The entire masseria can be rented out for family or group vacations or special events.
Renowned chef and cookbook author, Francesco Paldera, oversees the menu, where he reimagines classic Puglia dishes and presents new offerings. The menu changes daily depending on seasonal produce, and often includes the gourmet almonds produced by the estate, for example for pestos or a local version of the frangipane cake The Masseria also conducts cooking classes. For more information: Masseria Pilapalucci.