Description: After a night at the Villa Cora, there’s one thing I can’t figure out: why this place doesn’t have more publicity! This former palace on the outskirts of Florence was built in the 1860s and restored to its former glory, including frescoes in the bedrooms, fireplaces, creamy marble bathrooms, and period antiques, after almost 30 years in disrepair.
Perhaps its location (about 2km from the center of Florence) deters some tourists, though the hotel does have a free shuttle that will take to into the city and back at your discretion. When we arrived, in early September, the place was about half-full, though the pool seemed pretty packed. If you wanted to walk to the Ponte Vecchio or anywhere else in the center of Florence, it would probably take you a good 30 minutes. But Villa Cora’s suburban setting was actually a plus for us. An elegant, windy road shaded in cypress trees and lined with former palaces made the approach a memorable one.
When we pulled up to the Villa Cora, I was already smitten. I mean, we were staying in a PALACE. Ivy trellises beautified parking spots and marble statues gave the pool area a whole new level of sophistication. The common areas were nothing short of spectacular: golden frescoes on the ceilings, 12-foot windows, velvet curtains, massive paintings, and landings that lead out into lovely formal gardens.
Dinner here was an absolute treat as well--and fitting in light of the aristocratic surroundings. The degustation menu, at a steep €95, was so worth it. I went with the soffiato di melanzane con pomodoro frullato e mozzarella di bufala (eggplant souflée with tomatoes and mozzarella), ravioli with Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts, and mascarpone mantecato con cioccolato (creamy mascarpone with chocolate). Add on Villa Cora’s unbeatable service (in Tuscany, waiters take their job very seriously), a prosecco to start, and fizzy sweet lambrusco to finish, and you’ve got a real find.
Late one evening, we ran into a couple who had gotten married here the year before. Although they were about to check out, bound for a hotel in the center of Florence (which they didn’t seem too excited about), you could tell Villa Cora had won them over. "I mean, look at this place," she beamed, staring at the gilded ceilings and velvet sofas in the entryway. "It’s not all sparkling new, but this is the real thing."
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