Collegio alla Querce is Auberge's first hotel in Italy — a hilltop resort just outside Florence with terraced gardens, a pool, and big views. Our 2026 review of the property that finally gives Florence a true resort-style luxury stay.
Florence is famously short on true resort-style hotels.Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Collectionflips that equation.
Most of the Florence's best addresses are palazzi in the historic center: gorgeous, yes—but often tight on outdoor space, pool culture, and that relaxed “we can spend the whole afternoon here” energy.
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Get Exclusive Access →Opened inMarch 2025asAuberge’s first hotel in Italy,Collegio alla Querceis set on a hilltop just outside the tourist crush, inside a storied former educational institution with terraced gardens, big views, and the kind of grounds that feel closer to a Tuscan estate than a city stay.
The result is a hotel that feels like a destination in its own right: you can do the Duomo and Uffizi… and still come back to a pool, an olive garden bar, and a spa day that doesn’t feel like an afterthought.
Name:Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Collection(AubergeResorts Collection)
Where:Via delle Forbici21/B, Florence, Italy (hilltop setting outside the historic center)
Opened:March 2025(Auberge’sfirst Italian property)
Size:83 rooms(including suites)
Hotel “type”:city-adjacent resort—gardens + pool + spa, with quick access into Florence
Signature suite:Penthouse / Residenza La Quercia, roughly2,250–2,292 sq ft(about 213 m²), set within the privatePalazzo Moderno
Dining:La Gamella(destination restaurant),Bar Bertelli(cocktails + cigars in the former headmaster’s office), andCafé Focolare(poolside bar/restaurant among olive and oak trees)
Spa:Aelia, An Auberge Spa, with treatments rooted in Tuscan traditions (including olive oil, lemon, herbs)
Awards:Two MICHELIN Keys
Getting to the center:MICHELIN notes acomplimentary shuttlethat connects to central Florence inabout 15 minutes
Collegio alla Querceisn’t trying to beat the historic center at being the historic center.Aubergechose anout-of-the-way hilltop settingrather than the heart of Florence, and then leaned into what that makes possible—space, calm, gardens, and a true outdoor pool setting.
It's abouta mile and a half from the Duomo—close enough to feel connected, far enough to feel like you’ve exited the noise.
The property is a Tuscan country-estate retreat floating above the Florence skyline, with tiered gardens and city views. That’s not just poetic copy: the hotel’s outdoor life (pool + gardens + olive trees + bar terraces) is what makes it feel fundamentally different from most luxury hotels in Florence.
This is the big operational advantage:you don’t have to choose.
There is acomplimentary shuttleconnecting guests to central Florence in15 minutes—which is exactly how you make a resort-style hillside hotel viable for an art-heavy city break.
The buildings have a deep past (a 16th‑century property with later life as a boarding school), but the room experience is intentionally current: restored frescoes and coffered ceilings paired with modern Italian design and luxury bathrooms.
Auberge’sown positioning is “high Renaissance art meets modern Italian design,” with the former classrooms turned intospacious suiteswith high-end finishes.
If you want the most “historic Florence, but make it resort” accommodation vibe, theGrand Suitesare the category to pay attention to.
There are original details likerestored hand-painted frescoesandcoffered wood ceilings, plus terraces and big picture windows in higher categories—exactly the kind of room that can make you stay on-property longer than you expected.
The hotel’s signature suitePenthouse / Residenza La Querciais roughly2,250–2,292 sq ft(about213 m²) and located within the privatePalazzo Moderno.
If you’re booking for a major milestone trip (or you’re the type who treats the suite as the destination), La Quercia is designed to deliver that “I’m living in Florence” fantasy: multiple living spaces and a rooftop terrace are part of the concept.
AubergebuiltCollegio alla Querceto be alocal-facingfood and drink destination—not a hotel that expects guests to leave every night.
La Gamellais positioned as the hotel’s destination restaurant, spilling from a glassy garden-room feel into the Baroque garden beyond.Aubergeexplicitly describes it as seasonal Italian classics across breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
This is the hotel’s most character-rich bar concept:Bar Bertelliis set in what used to be the collegio’s headmaster’s office and is presented as a cocktail-and-cigar lounge with a playful, rule-bending drinks program.
For daytime, the hotel’s pool life has its own gravity.AubergepositionsCafé Focolareas the poolside restaurant and bar serving casual Italian (think pizzas, small pastas, crudos, panini) beneath a trellis, surrounded by old-growth olives and oak trees.
The hotel’s spa isAelia, An Auberge Spa, framed as “grounded in local aromas and Tuscan traditions.” The spa’s treatments incorporateolive oil, lemon, and herbs, and the hotel partnered withFurtuna Skinfor product integration in its spa story.
Collegio alla Querce'sgrounds are not background decoration—they’re the main differentiator.
The terraced gardens were restored to Medici-esque glory cascading down toward the swimming pool and its oak-fringed pool bar/restaurant. Theolive- and oak-shaded gardensare home to the outdoor pool, café, and spa—an unusually complete “resort layer” for a Florence hotel.
The key takeaway of our2026 Collegio Alla Querce review: If your Florence dream is “step outside and you’re in the postcard,”Collegio alla Querceisn’t that.
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Hard-to-book tables, cellar releases, and concierge-planned trips.
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It’s roughlya mile and a half from the Duomo, but the hotel solves this with acomplimentary shuttle(about15 minutesinto the center). However, it’s still a “plan your movement” stay versus a “wander out the door” stay.
Rates move with seasonality, room category, and demand. A couple of published anchors:
A travel advisor listing cites rates starting around€888 (low season)up to€1,528 (high season).
Treat these as reference points—not guarantees—but they’re useful for budgeting.
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