Looking for the best Italian hotel to visit? We’ve found the best Italian hotels for food lovers in Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily, Puglia and everywhere in between. Whether you’re on a budget or looking for luxury, need a city break or a sea views, check out our round-up of the best Italian hotels for something for everyone. For more hotel inspiration, check out our best European hidden gem hotels.
Next, learn about Italian coffee culture with our expert barista Celeste Wong’s guide, including traditional rituals, how to order it and the perfect recipe for at-home brewing. Now learn 10 things we love about Puglian cuisine and Tuscan food, plus the best honeymoons for foodies.
Best Italian hotels for foodies
La Guardia, Tuscany
- Doubles from £241, check availability at mrandmrssmith.com or booking.com
Giglio, the second largest island in the Tuscan archipelago, is lush with clifftop vineyards, fig trees and pines. The serene and stylish seaside retreat, La Guardia, is perched atop a granite cave along from the pastel-hued harbour. Brushed concrete and original stone columns are softened with driftwood decorations and wispy wicker lanterns that gently flutter in the Mediterranean breeze. Chic neutral tones continue through to the rooms, all kitted out with luxury Sicilian Ortigia toiletries
and many boasting balconies and sea views. Book the junior suite to embrace the elements with a bathroom built into the granite and a beachside terrace for watching the waves lap against the rocks.
Mediterranean flavours and island cuisine are served in the on-site restaurant – sip on a Venetian Select spritz at aperitivo hour before a candlelit dinner of Sicilian anchovies, palamita fish with marinated courgettes, and tagliolini with lemon butter and bottarga. The 70-strong wine list showcases rare bottles from Italy’s islands – Giglio, Ischia, Salina and beyond. Breakfast includes the likes of prosciutto, omelettes with Tuscan cheese, homemade fig bread and freshly squeezed juices. There are sunset yoga sessions on the terrace, healing zen shiatsu and Ayurvedic treatments, and e-bikes to explore the island’s rugged trails, cliff-face vineyards and restaurants in medieval castles.
Doubles from £241, check availability at mrandmrssmith.com or booking.com
Hotel Su Gologone, Sardinia
- Doubles from £285, check availability at mrandmrssmith.com or booking.com
Winding into the Barbagia mountains you’ll find the Hotel Su Gologone. Just a two-hour drive from the Costa Smeralda this is more bandit than paparazzi territory – probably one of the reasons Madonna hid out here, although she could have been swayed by the hotel’s gob-smacking beauty, hippy-chic vibe and gourmet credentials. Food is at the heart of Su Gologone, which started life as a restaurant in the 1960s. Today, it might be a chic, art-themed hotel – a pretty huddle of whitewashed buildings laced with vivid purple bougainvillea and bedded into the mountainside – but it’s still famous for its food.
Giovanna’s vibrant artworks pepper the bedrooms’ walls while the corridors are hung with traditional embroidered skirts and shawls. Secret alcoves are dotted around the gardens, there’s an open-air cinema and pool, a small spa, rooftop lounging areas for stargazing and a fabulous bar– whitewashed, open-air, scattered with white cushions and teetering above the valley. Sip a frothy bellini here, as the sun sinks, soaking up the Ibiza vibe and jaw-dropping views.
Doubles from £285, check availability at mrandmrssmith.com or booking.com
Il Borro Estate, Tuscany
- Doubles from £455, check availability at booking.com
Il Borro is a true working 800-hectare estate, where guests visiting in autumn can take part in the wine harvest and feast alongside the workers and owners (the glamorous Ferragamo family). The hotel itself is set in the remains of a medieval village in the centre of the estate in Valdarno valley, a wilder, more rustic corner of Tuscany.
The unique terroir of the estate, with its varying rocky, sandy and clay soils, makes perfect growing conditions for Syrah to make Pian di Nova, San Giovese to make Polissena and Merlot to make the Il Borro signature blend. This unique climate and soil isn’t solely reserved for wine – 700 olive trees provide oil, fields of buckwheat are a playground for honeybees, plus more fields of organic tomato vines, courgettes, pumpkins, green beans and melons provide the hotel’s three-floored Osteria and Tuscan bistro (and chef Andrea Campani) with the ultimate kitchen garden. The buffet breakfast is also exceptional – so abundant that sweet and savoury options are housed in separate rooms.
Doubles from £455, check availability at booking.com
Nordelaia, Piedmont
- Rooms from £261 per night including breakfast. Check availability at booking.nordelaia.com, booking.com or mrandmrsssmith.com
Nordelaia is all about equilibrium: between tradition and modernity; simplicity and indulgence; the boundlessness of nature and the cosy, uplifting comfort of home.
It lies within a hilly swathe of rural Piedmont – a region which itself represents a kind of geographical middle ground, suspended between the mighty Alps and the coastal province of Liguria in north-west Italy. Occupying an 800-year-old converted farmhouse, the interiors of Nordelaia’s 12 rooms are at once contemporary and classic. Two attic suites – all warm wood beams and pleasing oblique angles – evoke a sense of treetop seclusion, while freestanding baths in the bedroom areas add a dose of opulence.
On the first floor, the four rooms are themed around the striking seasonal colour palettes by which Nordelaia, from its woody hillside perch, is engulfed: greens in the spring, yellows for summer, fiery reds in the autumn, and pearly whites in the winter.
Two outdoor pools – one heated, one not, but both with views for miles – entice in all seasons, while a visit to the spa, with its warm stone floors, barrel-vaulted brick ceiling and stone arches, is sure to restore a sense of internal equilibrium.
Beyond the walls, Nordelaia is set within five hectares of arable land and boasts a working vineyard. Its offerings feature prominently on the wine list at the hotel’s destination restaurant, Lorto. Here chef Charles Pearce pays stunning homage both to the earthy, woodland character of Piedmont and to the maritime bounty of neighbouring Liguria. The two coalesce inventively in his take on perbureira – a thick, bean-based sauce traditionally served with pasta that Charles instead pairs with barbecue-kissed prawns and a coral emulsion. There’s a potato risotto with mussels that hits all the right notes, and a lip-smacking tangle of barbecued oyster mushrooms, served with a deeply savoury anchovy-based ferment called garum.
A bistro menu that leans towards traditional flavours with modern touches offers guests a more relaxed but no less excellent dining experience.
Rooms from £261 per night including breakfast. Check availability at booking.nordelaia.com, booking.com or mrandmrsssmith.com
Palazzo Margherita, Basilicata
- Doubles from £856, check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com
The ethos behind Palazzo Margherita is that it should be a home away from home (albeit a pretty palatial one, bearing in mind that this was originally home to a Hollywood film director), with friendly staff and an open attitude to eating: guests can eat anywhere, anytime, choosing a location within the property that suits their particular mood. Enjoy breakfast in the courtyard, coffees by the walled pool, pizza and pasta at communal tables at the eat-in kitchen and drinks in the cocktail bar.
Should you venture away from the hotel, the tranquil local beach has a scattering of sunbeds and parasols reserved for Palazzo Margherita guests. Pick one and look out at the Ionian Sea while you feast on a picnic made up by the cooks at the hotel (they normally add in a delicious seafood spaghetti made with the catch of the day from a local fisherman).
Doubles from £856, check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com
Susafa, Sicily
- Doubles from £273, check availability at booking.com, mrandmrssmith.com or expedia.co.uk
It’s a family affair at Susafa, a sprawling estate that has been owned by members of the Saeli-Rizzuto family for five generations – brothers Manfredi and Tommaso are now at the helm. The fortified, 19th-century farmhouse at its heart sits at the foot the Madonie mountains, near Polizzi Generosa, and is the focal point for overnight guests. Around the farmhouse are 18 simple but chic guest rooms. Between terracotta floors and exposed beams are restful ricotta-coloured walls and the odd pop of olive green or tomato red from a headboard or throw.
A restaurant is housed in the old granary and flavours here take their inspiration from the traditional Sicilian table. Vegetables, herbs, fruit and organic olive oil all come straight from the farm and the menu is elegantly rustic (think tomato salads, caponata and creamy risottos). Join a cookery lesson if you can drag yourself away from the pool.
Doubles from £273, check availability at booking.com, mrandmrssmith.com or expedia.co.uk
Castello di Casole, Tuscany
- Doubles from £667, check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com
Roughly half way between Florence and Siena, and surrounded by 4,200 acres of quintessential rolling, forested hills and golden fields, Castello di Casole is a magnificent Italian country estate. At its centre is an imposing, ochre-coloured castle flanked by gardens of lavender, gravel-edged lawns, roses and olive trees.
Castello di Casole is pitched at travellers in search of an unblemished version of la dolce vita, one with all the luxurious perks you could imagine. It has 41 rooms and suites within the castle and the hamlet that surrounds it, and another 28 villas and farmhouses (rentable by the week) scattered throughout the estate. Décor is tastefully restrained, with sage and burnt umber paintwork, beamed ceilings, antique furniture sourced from local markets, traditional cotto floors and Carrara marble bathrooms.
As with any self-respecting Tuscan estate, this one comes with its own vineyard and olive groves but the real showstopper is the hotel’s infinity pool with its mesmerising views over the undulating landscape. As dusk falls, most guests gravitate to the terrace above the pool, aperitivo in hand, to watch the spectacular sight of the sun sinking behind the hills. As well as the Pazzia Restaurant, which serves traditional Italian dishes and homemade gelato as well as Alessandro’s expert pizzas, there is a more formal restaurant, Tosca, overseen by chef Daniele Sera. Despite the stiff linen and impeccable service here, it still feels relaxed. A standout of the four-course tasting menu was the delicate spinach and ricotta gnudi with tomato confit and light-as-air mozzarella foam. There are more gastronomic experiences available too – from truffle hunting and mushroom foraging to pasta making and wine or olive oil tasting.
Doubles from £667, check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com
Borgo Egnazia, Puglia
- Doubles from £469, check availability at booking.com, mrandmrssmith.com or expedia.co.uk
Borgo Egnazia, or ‘village Egnazia’, is quite literally that: an Apulian-inspired network of little streets and piazzas that lead to villas, restaurants, swimming pools, spas, gardens and golf courses. It’s a self-contained bubble of luxury, beautifully designed around the colours white and cream, that’s built entirely from tactile tuff stone. Despite its size, the entire complex exudes a zen-like atmosphere that we found very difficult to leave. You can choose from four types of hotel room, five apartments or six villas – all luxurious, and all within easy reach of a swimming pool.
Food is a priority, with six restaurants on site that honour Puglian cuisine – timeless, simple, thrifty food. From grilled octopus at the sophisticated Due Camini, where vaulted white ceilings twinkle with illuminated glass bottles, to a relaxed buffet at La Fresca, rustic orecchiette or pizza at Mia Cucina and fresh seafood at beachside restaurant Pescheria da Vito, it’s easy to stay within the Borgo walls all week.
Doubles from £469, check availability at booking.com, mrandmrssmith.com or expedia.co.uk
Il Borgo del Balsamico, Emilia Romagna
- Doubles from £148, check availability at booking.com
Modena is synonymous with one of Italy’s most celebrated ingredients: intensely flavoured balsamic vinegar made from fermented grape must. The area around the city of Reggio Emilia is a hub for the vinegar’s production, and also happens to be where you will find Il Borgo del Balsamico. At this historic guest house, in Botteghe Albinea, sisters Cristina and Silvia Crotti produce DOP and IGP vinegars. It’s a lovely setting – an 18th century villa and farmhouse surrounded by wisteria-draped gardens, abundant with damask roses and fruit trees.
You can visit the tasting rooms as a day tripper but we recommend booking to stay over in one of the property’s three, refined guestrooms (plus one apartment); think parquet floors, Venetian plasterwork and carefully chosen antiques. There’s a small pool in the gardens too.
Doubles from £148, check availability at booking.com
Locanda al Colle, Tuscany
- Doubles from £252, check availability at mrandmrssmith.com
Calling Locanda al Colle a bed and breakfast is a bit of an understatement. This 12-room guesthouse has many of the perks of a five-star hotel with its antiques and art, saltwater pool and immaculate gardens. Adding to the exclusive feel is its tranquil location, on a pine and olive tree-dotted hill outside Camaiore (also easily reached from seaside resorts like Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi and the pretty town of Pietrasanta).
The overall vibe is informal but impeccable, and the same could be said of the food, with everything freshly made each day, from the sourdough bread and granola at breakfast to the cakes for afternoon tea. Resident chef Gianluca also conducts cookery lessons in the kitchen and, twice a week (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) hosts sociable dinners serving homemade ravioli and more on the candlelit terrace (on Monday evenings simple suppers of Tuscan soup and bruschetta are also available).
Doubles from £252, check availability at mrandmrssmith.com
Planeta Wine Estate, Sicily
- Doubles from £225, check availability at booking.com
Unsurprisingly it’s all about wine at the Planeta Wine Estate, just outside Menfi in south-western Sicily. As one of Sicily’s most well established and highly regarded wine producers, Planeta has five different territories dotted around the island but Menfi is where it all began, back in the 16th century. At nearby La Forestiera (part of the estate) there are 14 guestrooms set amid regimented vines, plus a restaurant whose menu is informed by its surroundings – the herbs of the countryside and seafood from the nearby coast.
Sip a glass of Nero d’Avola on the pool terrace or visit one of Planeta’s wineries for an in-depth tasting. As well as the pool, in the warmer months guests have access to the Lido Fiori on the beach at Porto Palo di Menfi, 10 minutes’ drive away. Planeta also has vast olive groves at Capparriva producing DOP Val di Mazzara oils; guests can sign up for a tasting and learn about harvesting and pressing.
Doubles from £225, check availability at booking.com
La Locanda Delle Donne Monache, Basilicata
- Doubles from £98, check availability at booking.com or expedia.co.uk
Slightly less well-trammelled by British visitors than other corners of the country, Basilicata is sandwiched between Campania (to the north) and Calabria (to the south). Its rumpled Tyrrhenian Sea coastline is short but sweet at just 30km long, with mountains rising abruptly from the sea. Maratea, its principal town, is a charming cluster of buildings dotted with twisting alleyways and over 40 churches. Also in town, La Locanda delle Donne Monache is a former 18th-century convent, now a smart hotel, with a pool and views over the countryside to the sea.
The hotel’s Il Sacella restaurant embraces the flavours of the province – chillies and pork are popular regional staples – and the menu features local sausages from Maratea, homemade pasta with mussels, shrimp and cuttlefish and baked sea bream washed down by Basilicata’s signature wine, the red Aglianco del Vulture.
Doubles from £98, check availability at booking.com or expedia.co.uk
Domu Antiga, Sardinia
- Doubles from £182, check availability at booking.com
A 19th-century farmhouse in the rural heartland of Sardinia, Domu Antiga is in the village of Gergei, surrounded by empty plains and olive groves roamed by more sheep than people. The sensitively restored building is now home to four airy guestrooms whose owners are passionate about local traditions.
Guests can jump on a cute Piaggio Ape van and tour the Unesco World Heritage-listed archaeological site of Su Nuraxi at Barumini. Alternatively, join chef Maria Grazia’s bread and cheese-making classes or try your hand at making local pasta shapes, like the island’s unique malloreddus gnocchi. Maria also oversees the guesthouse’s lavish breakfasts, and cooks dinner on request (expect grilled vegetables, local ravioli and Sardinian cheeses). There’s also a pizzeria and a winery close by.
Doubles from £182, check availability at booking.com
San Luis, Avelengo
- Check rates and availability at sanluis-hotel.com
San Luis is where to go to get away from it all, breathe deeply and just immerse yourself in the tranquility, interrupted only by birdsong and cow bells chiming out through the surrounding valleys.
Bedrooms are spread across a scattering of chalets and treehouses around a small, glacier mint-clear lake. Many of the rooms have their own hot tubs and saunas and all of them have small kitchens and dining areas.
For foodies, the buzzy, ground floor dining room looks out over the lake and purrs with efficiency. The menu comes in two guises; a traditional one, which draws on the region’s Austro/Italian gastro-heritage, and a more modern, Mediterranean-inspired alternative dreamt up by executive chef, Arturo Spicocchi (five courses, but you can pick and choose how much you want to eat and half portions are available). Lunchtime means soup, salad and cheese, and teatime heralds cakes as well as home-made ice cream.
Check rates and availability at sanluis-hotel.com
Don Totu Dimora Storica, Puglia
- Doubles from £295, check availability at mrandmrssmith.com or booking.com
Palazzo Seneca, Norcia
- Doubles from £217, check availability at booking.com
The foodie town of Norcia is set in the densely tree-covered Sibillini Mountains in Umbria. Enter through one of seven gates in the town’s heart-shaped, ancient walls and you soon discover a network of paved streets rich with foodie delights – café and restaurant tables spilling onto pavements and traditional food shops, Norcinerias, packed with prosciutto, cheeses, spelt and truffles.
Relais & Chateaux’s Palazzo Seneca is an elegantly restored sixteenth-century building hidden in one of Norcia’s narrow streets. Original stone flooring, open fires and squishy chairs await in the reception rooms, while delicate wrought iron frames, twisted wooden columns and wooden bedheads have been crafted so no two of the 24 rooms are the same. Pad down to the hotel’s candlelit barrel-vaulted spa in the basement, complete with jacuzzi, sauna and Turkish bath.
For breakfast, a serve-yourself spread is laid out on enormous wooden surfaces, with an entire table dedicated to charcuterie and local cheese. The hotel’s Michelin-starred Vespia restaurant is where the modern and innovative approach really comes into play, with little stacks of 24hr-cooked suckling pig and crisp buttery potatoes with splashes of colourful root veg purée, Norcia sausage ravioli and Breton chicken two ways.
Doubles from £217, check availability at booking.com
Find out more about our trip around Norcia here
Langhe Country House, Piedmont
- Doubles from £209 per night, check availability at booking.com
An imposing 18th-century farmstead near Alba, in Piedmont, Langhe Country House is surrounded by vineyards and hazelnut orchards, and has been beautifully renovated by owners Alessandro and Nadia (a Slow Food member and trained sommelier).
The only meal served here is breakfast but it seriously impresses: hazelnut cakes and tarts, biscuits (baci, brutti ma buoni), croissants, jams, seasonal fruit, cheeses from Alta Langa, sliced hams – all homemade or local. Cooking classes for Piedmontese recipes can be arranged, and guests can help themselves to a glass of wine from the poolside wine fridge before going out for dinner in the local village.
Doubles from £209 per night, check availability at booking.com