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 Collection flips 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.
Opened in March 2025 as Auberge’s first hotel in Italy, Collegio alla Querce is 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.
Collegio alla Querce isn’t trying to beat the historic center at being the historic center. Auberge chose an out-of-the-way hilltop setting rather than the heart of Florence, and then leaned into what that makes possible: space, calm, gardens, and a true outdoor pool setting.
It's about a 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 a complimentary shuttle connecting guests to central Florence in 15 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’s own positioning is “high Renaissance art meets modern Italian design,” with the former classrooms turned into spacious suites with high-end finishes.
If you want the “historic Florence, but make it resort” accommodation vibe, the Grand Suites are the category to pay attention to.
There are original details like restored hand-painted frescoes and coffered wood ceilings, plus terraces and big picture windows in higher categories. This is exactly the kind of room that can make you stay on-property longer than you expected.
The hotel’s signature suite Penthouse / Residenza La Quercia is roughly 2,292 sq ft (about 213 m²) and located within the private Palazzo 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.
Auberge built Collegio alla Querce to be a local-facing food and drink destination,not a hotel that expects guests to leave every night.
La Gamella is positioned as the hotel’s destination restaurant, spilling from a glassy garden-room feel into the Baroque garden beyond. Auberge explicitly describes it as seasonal Italian classics across breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
This is the hotel’s most character-rich bar concept: Bar Bertelli is 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. Auberge positions Café Focolare as 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 is Aelia, An Auberge Spa, framed as “grounded in local aromas and Tuscan traditions.” The spa’s treatments incorporate olive oil, lemon, and herbs, and the hotel partnered with Furtuna Skin for product integration in its spa story.
Collegio alla Querce's grounds 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. The olive- and oak-shaded gardens are home to the outdoor pool, café, and spa,an unusually complete “resort layer” for a Florence hotel.
The key takeaway of our 2026 Collegio Alla Querce review: If your Florence dream is “step outside and you’re in the postcard,” Collegio alla Querce isn’t that.
It’s roughly a mile and a half from the Duomo, but the hotel solves this with a complimentary shuttle (about 15 minutes into 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:
Treat these as reference points,not guarantees,but they’re useful for budgeting.
Yes, but with a specific distinction: it is a hilltop resort located just north of the historic center (Via delle Forbici). It feels like a Tuscan country estate floating above the city. While you cannot simply walk out the door directly into the Duomo crowds, the hotel provides a complimentary daily shuttle that drops guests at Piazza Santissima Annunziata (near the Accademia Gallery) in about 15 minutes.
Yes. Unlike most historic hotels in Florence’s city center (which often lack outdoor space), Collegio alla Querce features a large outdoor swimming pool set within its terraced Baroque gardens. The pool is open seasonally (typically May through September) and offers full food and beverage service from Café Focolare, making it a true "resort" destination rather than just a plunge pool.
Surprisingly, yes. While it has a sophisticated "adult" atmosphere, Auberge explicitly suits families. The hotel offers a dedicated "Little Explorers" program (including treasure hunts in the gardens and kids' yoga), and children under 12 typically stay free in existing bedding. The pool is also open to children (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult).
The pool is generally reserved for hotel guests to maintain privacy. However, the Aelia Spa offers day packages (such as the "Aelia Retreat" or "Day of Italian Beauty") which can be booked by non-guests. These packages often include a treatment, access to a private spa suite with hydrotherapy, and a "green aperitivo" in the garden. Reservations are mandatory.
The spa differentiates itself through a partnership with Furtuna Skin, a luxury organic skincare brand based in Sicily. Treatments rely on wild-harvested botanicals and olive oil rather than generic spa products. Signature treatments (like the "Olive Oil & Tuscan Lemon" ritual) are designed to reflect the property’s own olive groves and agricultural history.
This is the hotel's "Presidential Suite" equivalent. It is a massive 2,292 sq. ft. (213 m²) penthouse located inside the private Palazzo Moderno building. It features multiple living areas, a dedicated kitchen, and a private rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the Florence skyline,designed for guests seeking a private apartment experience rather than a standard hotel room.
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