La Réserve Firenze opens on October 16 without trying to look like a conventional luxury hotel.
Behind the walls of a restored 15th-century palazzo on Via Santo Spirito are just six serviced apartments, each large enough to feel more like a private Florentine home than an oversized suite. The smallest measures 170 square metres, while the largest combines 205 square metres of interior space with a private 55-square-metre rooftop terrace.
The property is La Réserve’s first address in Italy and sits in the Oltrarno district, a short walk from Palazzo Pitti, the Boboli Gardens and the Ponte Vecchio.
The Smallest Apartment Is Still 170 Square Metres
The six apartments range from one to three bedrooms and accommodate between two and six guests.
The one-bedroom apartment measures 175 square metres and includes a separate dining room. The two-bedroom layouts run from 170 to 210 square metres, while the top-floor three-bedroom duplex adds a private terrace with 360-degree views across Florence.
That scale changes how the property works. Guests have proper living rooms, dining areas and fully equipped kitchens rather than relying on a hotel room with a small sitting corner.
Some apartments preserve original frescoes and coffered ceilings. Others look across Santo Spirito or the rooftops of Oltrarno, and the duplex master bedroom faces the River Arno.
The Palazzo Keeps Its Historic Details
La Réserve Firenze occupies Palazzo Segni, a Renaissance building that has belonged to several prominent Florentine families over the centuries.
French design studio Gilles & Boissier handled the restoration, mixing contemporary furniture with timber ceilings, historic frescoes, terracotta floors and locally rooted materials. The result avoids the polished sameness that can make a newly restored hotel feel detached from its building.
There is no oversized lobby announcing the property from the street. Town & Country reports that the entrance carries no exterior signage, with guests passing through the courtyard before the interiors reveal themselves.
Shared spaces include a library, a billiards room, a fitness room, a shaded patio and a courtesy bar with a terrace. The rooftop terrace attached to the three-bedroom duplex overlooks Santo Spirito and Palazzo Pitti.
It Comes With Hotel Service, Not Hotel Formality
Every apartment includes 24-hour concierge support, a maître de maison, twice-daily cleaning, laundry service and breakfast served inside the apartment.
The fitness room uses Technogym and Pent Luxury Fitness equipment. Guests can also request a private chef, personal trainer, yoga teacher, massage, beauty treatment, babysitter or access to a private tennis court.
That puts La Réserve Firenze somewhere between a private residence and a small hotel. A family can cook with ingredients from Santo Spirito market, ask a chef to take over the kitchen or leave the entire day to the concierge without passing through a busy reception area.
The concept makes particular sense in Florence, where the building and neighbourhood are part of the trip. This is less about staying beside the city and more about temporarily living inside it.
It is a different kind of luxury from the overnight glamour of Belmond’s Paris-to-Monaco Venice Simplon-Orient-Express journey, but both replace the standard hotel-room experience with something more immersive.
La Réserve Firenze opens on October 16, 2026. Rates vary by apartment and date, with bookings available directly through the property.
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Images courtesy of La Réserve Firenze / Michel Reybier Hospitality
