Perched on a hillside overlooking the Duomo in Florence, Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Resorts Collection transforms a storied 16th-century boarding school into an 83-room luxury retreat.
A collaboration between Auberge, owner Analjit Singh, Esteva i Esteva, ArchFlorence, and garden designer Franchesca Watson, the project pulls from the surrounding geography, “blending the relaxed feel of a country palazzo with the vibrant energy of city life,” says Kemper Hyers, chief creative officer of Auberge Resorts Collection.
“We restored, rather than renovated the Collegio, celebrating its 300-year evolution from villa to school to hotel,” Hyers adds.
Dining venues repurpose historic spaces—the garden restaurant La Gamella occupies the former student cafeteria, while Bar Bertelli resides in the headmaster’s office, where portraits of past top students still gaze down.
The timeless interiors are filled with locally sourced antiques layered with contemporary elements like accented linens, steel console tables, midcentury chairs, and art, “creating a sense of a space that has been gradually decorated over time,” Hyers notes.
The hotel houses 49 guestrooms, 28 suites, and six Grand Suites—including a signature two-story suite boasting a rooftop plunge pool, private terraces, and a floating tub beneath a window framing the Duomo that makes guests “feel both elevated, as if you’re on top of the world, yet so close to the city’s beauty, as though you could reach out and touch it,” says Hyers.
Hidden below, an ancient aqueduct rushes beneath the hotel, adding to the dynamic experience of the stay.
“At Collegio alla Querce, guests can experience the vibrancy of Florence,” Hyers says, “while also feeling the complete peace and grounding found in the hill towns of Tuscany, all without ever leaving the property.”
Collegio alla Querce’s launch will be followed by the opening of Cambridge House, Auberge Resorts Collection in Mayfair, London in late 2025.
More from HD:
Boutique Motels Are Redefining Route 66
What I’ve Learned Podcast: Jacu Strauss, Lore Group
A New Era of Airport Design Is Underway