The 398 best luxury hotels in Italy

Which of the best hotels in Italy suit you depends first of all on the region.Hotel de Russie, a Rocco Forte Hotel, RomeRome is the place for antiquity and long evenings. Above the Spanish Steps you stay at the Hotel Eden Rome, with views as far as St. Peter’s; on Via del Babuino at the Hotel de Russie, a Rocco Forte Hotel, Rome, with its terraced Secret Garden.Mandarin Oriental MilanIn Milan you stay between La Scala and the fashion district: at the Mandarin Oriental Milan, with spa and indoor pool, or at the Bvlgari Hotel Milan, set in a private garden next to the Botanical Garden.

In Venice you choose between the Grand Canal and the lagoon: Aman Venice, with frescoes by Tiepolo and a garden on the water, or the Belmond Hotel Cipriani Venice on the Giudecca, with its heated saltwater pool.

In Florence you stay at the Hotel Savoy, a Rocco Forte Hotel, Florence on Piazza della Repubblica, in the heart of the Renaissance. With a view of the Duomo and some distance from the bustle, Collegio alla Querce Florence and its terraced gardens sit on a hill north of the old town.

Tuscany means country estates, vineyards and the sea. Near Montalcino, Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco lies in a medieval village with its own Brunello winery and golf course; near Casole d’Elsa, Belmond Castello di Casole occupies a castle dating from 998. By the sea you stay in Forte dei Marmi at the Principe Forte dei Marmi, which has its own beach club.

On the Amalfi Coast you stay above the sea: in Positano at Le Sirenuse, run by the Sersale family since 1951; in Amalfi at the Hotel Santa Caterina, whose lemon gardens reach down to its own beach club; and in Ravello at Caruso, A Belmond Hotel, Amalfi Coast, an 11th-century palace.

In the Gulf of Naples you stay on Capri at J.K. Place Capri, above the Marina Grande harbor; in Sorrento at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, family-owned since 1834, with a private park above the Marina Piccola; and in Naples at Grand Hotel Parker’s Naples, with views of Vesuvius and Capri.

At no extra cost: you pay the same rate as booking direct with the hotel – the suitespot benefits come on top, free of charge.

The luxury hotels on the lakes combine gardens and villas: on Lake Como, near Como, you stay at Villa d'Este, a cardinal’s residence from 1568; on Lake Garda at the Grand Hotel Fasano, a Habsburg hunting lodge with its own jetty; and in Stresa on Lake Maggiore at Villa e Palazzo Aminta, from whose jetty boats leave for the Borromean Islands.

In South Tyrol and the Dolomites, the hotel itself is the destination. In Merano, Villa Eden The Private Retreat Merano welcomes adults only and has its own longevity institute; on the Alpe di Siusi you ski straight from COMO Alpina Dolomites onto the slopes; and in Cortina d'Ampezzo you stay at Ancora Cortina on Corso Italia.

Around Genoa, the Riviera stretches as far as Portofino. Above the bay lies the Belmond Hotel Splendido Portofino, a former Benedictine monastery, and in Santa Margherita Ligure you look out over the Gulf of Tigullio from the Grand Hotel Miramare.

In Sicily you combine antiquity and the sea. In Taormina you stay at the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, right next to the Greek Theater, with a view of Etna; in Agrigento, the Hotel Villa Athena Agrigento has its own access to the Valley of the Temples.

Sardinia stands for coves and granite coastlines. In Gallura, every suite at Cascioni Eco Retreat has a private garden with its own pool; on the Costa Smeralda, the Belmond Hotel Romazzino Costa Smeralda sits on its own sandy beach. In Cagliari you stay at Palazzo Doglio Cagliari, with its Liberty-style courtyard.

In Puglia you stay in masserie and white villages: Borgo Egnazia is built like an Apulian village of tuff stone, and in Lecce you look out from the Patria Palace Hotel Lecce onto the Basilica of Santa Croce. In neighboring Basilicata, in Matera, you sleep in cave rooms in the middle of the Sassi at Vetera Matera.