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Donati Luxury Tower Suites

A medieval tower on Piazza Sant'Elisabetta, two suites, one unrepeatable view of the Duomo.

Medieval Tower • Twelve Named Suites • The Duomo from the Window

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🏰 The Tower at a Glance

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Location: Piazza Santa Elisabetta 1

Two hundred steps from the Duomo

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Suites: Twelve, All Named

Leonardo to Machiavelli, every one with a kitchenette

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The View: The Duomo

Dome and campanile complete from the full-view suite

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Since 2026: Historic Hotels Worldwide

The tower made it official

🏰 The Two Towers

Here is the story the lobby will not fit on a plaque: there were two towers, Torre Ricci and Torre Donati, built less than a metre apart by rival families who spent generations glaring at each other across the gap. Two centuries later the towers were merged, the Donati name won the argument, and the result stands today as the oldest medieval tower in Florence's historic centre, at Piazza Santa Elisabetta 1, about two hundred steps from the Duomo. In 2026 it joined Historic Hotels Worldwide, which made official what guests already knew: you are not staying near the history, you are sleeping inside it.

🗝️ The Stay

We have stayed twice, in two different suites, and the tower rewards both kinds of night. The rooms wear their age beautifully: stone where stone belongs, modern comfort where it matters, and windows that do things no new hotel can fake. From the right suite the view is the whole argument: the dome and the campanile complete in one window, close enough to read the marble, the first thing you see when the shutters open. Every one of the twelve suites has a kitchenette, which changes the trip: morning coffee in the tower before the piazza wakes, a bottle of Chianti upstairs after dinner, Florence handled on your own clock.

🧭 Booking It Right

All twelve suites are named for Florentines, and the names are a menu: Leonardo is the Deluxe King and the only suite with the full Duomo view, so if the dome in the window is the point, ask for it by name. Michelangelo has a jacuzzi; Giorgio Vasari has a sauna and a jacuzzi both; Gemma Donati is the studio; Dante and Machiavelli round out the roster. Every suite has the kitchenette, so that is never the deciding factor. Book directly ahead for summer, and know that a tower this small sells out the view suites first. We are planning a return this August, and the window we want is already spoken for in our imagination.

GIOTTO · SIGNATURE SUITE · SEP 3 – 5

The Duomo-View Suite

Fifth-floor Giotto: wood-beamed ceilings and white Murano chandeliers, a freestanding marble tub, and a window where Brunelleschi's dome and Giotto's own bell tower stand close enough to touch.

Giotto suite bedroom with exposed stone wall, upholstered headboard and Murano glass chandelier
Stone wall and Murano glassThe bedroom pairs an exposed medieval stone wall with a quilted headboard and a white Murano glass chandelier under wood-beamed ceilings.
Close view of the Florence cathedral dome over rooftops with hills beyond
The dome at the windowThe dome of Santa Maria del Fiore rises close over the rooftops, the Tuscan hills soft behind it in the evening light.
White Murano glass chandelier against an exposed stone wall in the Giotto suite
A Venetian counterpointA white Murano glass chandelier hangs against the suite's stone wall, a Venetian counterpoint to the Tuscan masonry.
Giotto suite living area with wood-beamed ceiling, Murano chandelier and cathedral-view windows
Under the chestnut beamsThe living area sits under original chestnut beams, lit by a white Murano chandelier, with tall windows framing the cathedral.
Freestanding oval bathtub in the white and dark marble Giotto suite bathroom
The marble tubThe marble bathroom centers on a freestanding oval soaking tub, white Arabescato veining set against a dark stone floor.
Giotto suite bed beside a large window under a wood-beamed ceiling
Morning in the suiteMorning in the Duomo-facing suite, the bed set beside a curtained window under beamed ceilings.
Florence cathedral dome seen through sheer Giotto suite curtains
Through the curtainsThe dome glows through the suite's sheer curtains, a quieter way to frame the landmark.
Welcome water tray on a windowsill with Giotto's Campanile beyond
The welcome trayA welcome tray waits on the windowsill, the campanile framed just beyond the glass.
MACHIAVELLI · DELUXE SUITE · AUG 31 – SEP 3

The Brick-Vault Suite

Machiavelli: a long living room under a hand-laid brick barrel vault, dark Emperador marble in the bath, a Gothic-arched window niche, and the cathedral rising at an angle over the rooftops.

Machiavelli suite living area with exposed stone wall, sofa and vaulted ceiling
The long living roomThe Machiavelli living space runs long under a vaulted ceiling, an exposed stone wall behind the sofa and a compact bar corner.
Exposed brick barrel-vaulted ceiling in the Machiavelli tower suite
The brick vaultA hand-laid brick barrel vault arcs over the suite, the tower's medieval bones left exposed.
Machiavelli suite bedroom with upholstered headboard against a stone wall
Soft against the stoneThe bedroom sets a soft upholstered headboard against rough stone, framed prints and warm lamplight to either side.
Angled view of Giotto's Campanile and the Duomo over Florence rooftops
The campanile at an angleThe Machiavelli suite looks onto the campanile and dome at an angle, rising over a tumble of tiled roofs.
Wingback armchair and lamp against an exposed stone wall
The reading cornerA wingback armchair and lamp make a reading corner against the stone, the wall-mounted screen opposite.
Walk-in glass shower in the dark Emperador marble Machiavelli bathroom
Emperador marbleThe bathroom is wrapped in dark Emperador marble, a glass walk-in shower set against the veined stone.
Gothic arched window niche with curtains in the Machiavelli suite
The Gothic nicheA pointed Gothic arch frames a curtained window niche, a reminder the building predates the Renaissance it looks onto.
Florence cathedral dome over rooftops from the Machiavelli tower suite
The dome on the horizonThe cathedral dome anchors the horizon beyond the rooftops, seen from the Machiavelli window.
THE BUILDING

The Tower Itself

One of Florence's surviving medieval tower-houses, rough-cut stone rising sheer from the street.

Stone facade of the Donati medieval tower-house from the street
From the streetFrom the street the Donati tower rises sheer and narrow in rough-cut stone, one of Florence's surviving medieval tower-houses.
Donati tower facade lit at night
After darkAfter dark the tower's windows glow gold up its full height.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which suite has the best Duomo view?
Leonardo, the Deluxe King, is the only suite with the full Duomo view: dome and campanile complete in the window. Several others catch partial views. If the view is why you are booking a tower two hundred steps from the cathedral, ask for Leonardo by name and book early; it goes first.
Do the suites have kitchens?
All twelve have kitchenettes. It sounds like a detail and turns out to be the trip: coffee in the tower before the piazza wakes, simple suppers when you are templed out, and a refrigerator for the market haul from the Mercato Centrale.
Where exactly is the tower?
Piazza Santa Elisabetta 1, in the knot of medieval lanes between the Duomo and Piazza della Signoria. You can be at the cathedral steps in about two minutes, which changes what early morning in Florence means.
Is the tower really medieval?
Yes, and doubly so: it began as two rival towers, Torre Ricci and Torre Donati, built less than a metre apart, merged centuries later under the Donati name. The hotel calls it the oldest medieval tower in the historic centre, and standing in the stairwell you will not argue.

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