Hotel Brunelleschi

Hotel Brunelleschi is a four-star, 96-room hotel on Piazza Santa Elisabetta in the pedestrian centre of Florence, Italy, built around a 6th or 7th-century tower and about two minutes' walk from the Duomo. Its tower rooms, private museum and central location suit couples, history-minded travellers and families who want to walk everywhere.

Walking distances to the Duomo and Uffizi

The piazza lies between Via de' Calzaiuoli and Via del Corso. Florence Cathedral is 160 m away, Piazza della Signoria about three minutes on foot, the Uffizi about six and the Ponte Vecchio about seven. Santa Maria Novella station is roughly a 12-minute walk, and Florence Peretola Airport (FLR) is 7.5 km by road. Private transfers from the airport and station can be arranged.

The Torre della Pagliazza

The round tower is regarded as the oldest building still standing in Florence's historic centre. It was a women's prison in the 13th century and later a bell tower. Restoration in the 1980s uncovered a Roman calidarium and Roman, medieval and Renaissance finds, which are now shown in the hotel's private museum. The Deluxe Tower room and the Pagliazza Tower Suite are inside the tower.

Classic rooms, Deluxe rooms and suites

The rooms combine contemporary Italian design with leather, velvet and Florentine materials. Classic rooms measure about 18 sqm. Deluxe rooms sleep three, Junior Suites and Suites sleep up to four, and unique rooms look out on the Duomo, Giotto's bell tower or Palazzo Vecchio. Connecting family options take five to eight guests. Up to two children aged 2 and under stay free with existing bedding.

Osteria della Pagliazza and the Tower Bar

Osteria della Pagliazza serves fresh pasta and Tuscan dishes. The Tower Bar pours cocktails inside the tower, and breakfast is served in a former medieval church.

Gym hours, laundry and meeting rooms

The Technogym fitness room on the first floor is open daily from 6 AM to 9 PM for hotel guests. Laundry and dry cleaning come back the same day, and there are meeting rooms and a concierge team. Wi-Fi is free throughout.

Saving the tower

Records describe the Pagliazza as a prison in 1268 and as a women's prison in 1285. Its name is said to come from the straw mattresses (paglia) the prisoners slept on. The tower stands on Roman foundations, and it later served as the bell tower of San Michele alle Trombe, the church that became Sant'Elisabetta. Architect Italo Gamberini designed the restoration that turned it into a hotel, carried out from 1983 to 1988 with funding from INA. The museum also displays historic ceramics and photographs of the excavation.

Sources: Hotel Brunelleschi. Facts checked November 2026.