Located at the very heart of Florence, La Gemma Hotel is a slice of quiet, glamour and Italian heritage.
Books that range from Dolce and Gabbana archives to Machiavelli’s The Prince sit on green shelves against wallpapers of palm leaves. Windows open onto turret-like buildings that seem like visions from the past, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Novella appears in the near distance, the white, green and red marble shining under the August sun.
The setting is Palazzo Paoletti, a 19th century palace with a first-floor gourmet restaurant and a private spa in the historic cellars. The interiors have been designed by the Milan studio ‘Design by Gemini’, which drew inspiration from the Cathedral unique colours to create a stunning blend of greens, pinks and ivories. As you walk around the rooms of La Gemma, you are surrounded by marbles and furnishings that feel like references to Art Deco.
The hotel is in Via Calimala, a surprisingly quiet street in the middle of the city’s most beloved landmarks: the Cathedral, Piazza della Repubblica, Ponte Vecchio. It was founded and launched in 2023 by Massimiliano Cecchi and his four siblings, who are now working on five new properties, all set to open by 2030: Milan, Rome, Capri, Venice and Como.
My room at La Gemma; The hotel’s terrace, with a view on the city historical landmarks
The restaurant LUCA’S BY PAOLO AIRAUDO
The hotel’s gourmet restaurant – Luca’s – brings together Tuscan and Argentinian cuisine. Chef Paulo Airauldo, half Italian and half Argentinian, and has put a fresh spin on the classic Italian cuisine. Ingredients are locally sourced in Tuscany but given a modern, light twist. For our dinner on the last day of our stay, we started with raw amberjack and tomato water, paired with a Vermignon 2023 from Tenuta Lenzini, and ended with a goat cheese flan with vanilla and apricot paired with a delicious passito – Italian sweet dessert wine. Other dishes on the menu include tagliolini with goat butter, anchovies, Sorrento lemon and caviar, and red snapper with bagna calda sauce. Shrimps are especially good, whether fried as shared appetizers or cooked with the risotto.
Luca’s restaurant; breakfast at La Gemma.
La GEMMA CAFÉ
While Luca’s offers a three to four courses dinners, at La Gemma Café guests can enjoy lighter meals. The concept, launched this summer, is the pintxos menu, which serves small, delicious bites like fried battered artichoke and pan tomate with hamon iberico. Highlights were the fried battered prawn and pico de gallo (the fresh Mexican salsa) as well as pain brioche with butter and anchovies. Bites are accompanied by cocktails tailored for every taste.
Marta, the bartender, has taken part in several cocktail competitions and creates her own signature cocktails. On a late afternoon, she taught us how to make a few of her favourites during an exciting Mixologist Master Class. Each of us had to follow Marta closely as she prepared a different drink: a Spritz, a Negroni, the ‘Birl like a Top’ – a scented blend of Peter in Florence gin and cucumber water with chamomile – and the ‘Don’t Look at Me.’ I especially enjoyed the latter, where, sakè, Leche de Tigre, lime juice and passion fruit juice are mixed with Tabernero Pisco Quebranta (a soft and round Pisco with apricot, raisins and dried fruit notes) and extract of apple and celery.
Spritz, as Marta explained, was born in the early 19th century, when Habsburg soldiers decided to dilute the flavour of Venetian wines – whose taste was too strong for them – with carbonated water. A century later, in the 1920s, the cocktail as we know it was born when the mixture was stained with a sip of bitter. Around the same time (1919) Negroni was also born, as Count Camillo Negroni brought the Americano to Italy and reinforced it with gin instead of soda.
With Marta at La Gemma Cafè; ‘Don’t Look at Me’ cocktails
ALLURE Spa
To complete our three days at la Gemma, we spent an afternoon at the Allure Spa, a small but sophisticated space located on the underground floor of the hotel. The Spa features a Turkish bath, a hydro massage pool, and two therapy rooms where Allure’s team offer tailor-made treatments. The method followed is Biologique Recherche, which focuses on the ultra-personalisation of beauty treatments. Whether you are after a glow up or anti-age treatment, the Allura therapists will assess your skin first, then create a facial that works for your skin and its needs.
View from my room at La Gemma; the restaurant at night
La Gemma was one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed in, a perfect experience for people who want a luxury experience with incredible food and wine, want to try innovative spa treatments while also enjoying the central location that allows guests to visit the beautiful churches and palazzi of a city whose history is still alive and vibrant.
You can find more details about la Gemma here:https://www.lagemmahotel.com/