Heartfelt hospitality at Rivoli Boutique Hotel

Converted into a hotel in the early 1960s, the four-star boutique hotel is enclosed within the walls of a 14th-century Franciscan convent, offering a mindful approach to slow tourism with historic landmarks at your fingertips. Guests enjoy sunlit gardens and the calm of a centuries-old cloister, with elegant lounges, serene spas, and convivial seasonal restaurants.

With piazza Santa Maria Novella mere steps away, Rivoli Boutique Hotel is situated opposite Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, the oldest pharmacy in Europe that is now a museum narrating Florentine history through perfumes and artisanal products. All major landmarks are within walking distance, while the city’s main conference venue is just a ten-minute stroll away, making the hotel’s strategic location convenient for all types of travellers.

The hotel offers a variety of 82 rooms: Comfort rooms offer a pleasant and cozy atmosphere ideal for short stays, with honey-coloured parquet floors framing both antique and contemporary design elements. Family rooms provide a spacious and welcoming atmosphere, while Romantic, Prestige, and Deluxe rooms are ideal for couples’ retreats, each decorated with warm tones and custom furnishings. The hotel additionally offers ample meeting rooms on the doorstep of Santa Maria Novella station, equipped for up to 80 people.

Wellness is at the heart of Rivoli’s slow tourism mission. Nestled in the peace and quiet of the Franciscan patio, guests can rejuvenate with the Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, emotional cascade shower, and a range of relaxing massages.

Guests can also experience genuine local flavours, from a generous buffet breakfast featuring Italian, American, and Asian dishes to the refined garden bar offering cocktails (with the Florentine Negroni taking centre stage), a studied wine list, and traditional and innovative culinary creations at the Benedicta Restaurant.

What makes Rivoli Boutique Hotel special is not just tradition or experience—it’s the independent family management that has upheld the essence of authentic Italian hospitality for over 70 years. The story began in 1950 when Mirra Vegni in Caridi opened humble room rentals for pilgrims ahead of the Catholic Jubilee. Her passion for hosting swiftly led to managing guesthouses and small hotels. Yet it was her son, Gianni, who enacted a generational leap. After gaining tourism experience in London, he returned to Florence, purchasing a Canossian convent. With a clear vision and respect for its origins, he converted the convent into today’s Rivoli Boutique Hotel in 1963.

With architect Chiara Caridi’s arrival in the 1990s, the family soul was enriched with authenticity and professionalism. Thus ARS Collection Firenze was born, an esteemed hotel group that includes the Rivoli Boutique Hotel, the Grand Hotel Adriatico, two restaurants, and an array of short-stay apartments – all of which reflect slow-paced Italian charm.

With renovation works that began in 2024, Rivoli Boutique Hotel has embraced a new identity for this new era of tourism, one that continues to reflect the principles of the Caridi family: classic Italian craftsmanship built upon structure and discipline, aiming to deliver genuine hospitality for mindful visitors.

Chiara Caridi actively led the architectural and interior design process, commissioning trusted local artisans and professionals to craft an exclusive result. Highlights of the renovation include redesigned floors to enlarge rooms and bathrooms, custom-designed furnishings made by local artisans, restored antiques and valuable pieces, fresh colour scheme, classic herringbone parquet flooring, soundproofed Deluxe Rooms, and newly installed charging stations. The bathrooms have Carrara marble finishes and spacious walk-in showers with chromotherapy and customizable water jets. Select showers include Verde Marina marble seats and bathroom amenities by historic Florentine perfume laboratory Farmacia della SS. Annunziata, with all choices placing sustainability, care, and elegance at the centre.