The hotel had a lot of character as you'd expect, and a great patio for breakfast, overlooking the city below. We stayed in a garden suite, which are larger rooms opening onto a beautiful courtyard, and we had great views from our porch and the courtyard. The downside is that the garden suites aren't part of the original hotel, so, while nicely decorated, they're a bit generic. Overall: 9, Room-7, Facilities-9, Service-8, Wow-4 (designed by Michelangelo, what more can you ask for? OK, killer views too)

We were totally wiped out from the flight, but managed to clean ourselves up sufficiently to attend the kickoff event for the elaborate wedding. First stop was a reception and an Indian wedding ceremony (the groom's family is originally from India) on the roof of the Continental Hotel, followed by dinner at the Gallery Hotel Art. The Continental Hotel isn't a top tier hotel but has a great location by the Arno river and consequently picture perfect views. Gallery Hotel Art is a trendy hotel, one of several developed by the Ferragamo fashion house, which is headquartered here. It's supposed to be like living in an art gallery, which sounds like a nice idea but I don't think would be very comfortable. We crawled back to our hotel and crashed for the night.

69. Florence

We finally arrived in Florence, staying at the Villa San Michele, one of my all time favorite hotels. It's actually in Fiesole, a town on the hillside overlooking Florence, which is a charming town that's worth a trip in its own right, as you will soon see. We thought it would be a bit remote so we ended up splitting our stay with a more centrally located hotel. But Florence is just a pretty15 minute walk downhill or a shorter cab ride, so if I were to do it again, I'd stay here for the duration.

It's a fifteenth century villa designed by Michelangelo, so you can't get any more Florentine than that. Originally designed as a monastery, it later became a private house until transformed into the current boutique hotel.