Five-star Via dei Cavalieri, Florence
Hotel La Gemma
Thirty-nine rooms in the palazzo of Florence's old Guild of Hoteliers, between the Duomo and Piazza della Repubblica, with a MICHELIN-starred dining room on the first floor.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 39 rooms and suites
- Opened
- 2023
- Restaurant
- Luca's, one MICHELIN star
- From the airport
- About 20 minutes from Peretola
The hotel
The hoteliers' own palazzo.
Palazzo Paoletti went up in the nineteenth century to designs by the architect Tito Bellini, and for years it was the seat of the Guild of Hoteliers. The building stands a few streets from the Duomo, on the short Via dei Cavalieri off Piazza della Repubblica. A Florentine family turned it into a hotel of its own, which opened in 2023.
The interiors lean towards Art Deco. Their greens and pinks come from the marble of the cathedral front a few minutes away, set against geometric patterns, velvet bed linen and marble bathrooms. On the first floor Paulo Airaudo, who earned two stars at Amelia in San Sebastián, runs Luca's, which won a MICHELIN star of its own. Downstairs, the old cellars hold the spa.
- Luca's Paulo Airaudo's first-floor restaurant reworks Florentine classics and holds one MICHELIN star. Luca's Bar mixes cocktails alongside.
- Allure Spa Below ground in the old cellars: a Turkish bath, a hydro-massage bath, an ice shower and two rooms for Biologique Recherche treatments.
- Days out The concierge arranges visits to perfumers and artisans, a farmhouse cooking class or a helicopter flight over Florence.
Rooms & suites
Eight sizes of room, one style.
Rooms and suites share the same palette and handmade king-size beds. Sizes are given by the hotel in square feet; the figures below are converted.
- Rooms Signature to Deluxe From about 20 to 30 square metres, for two guests.
- Suites Junior, Loft and Prestige Suites From about 35 to 45 square metres. The Loft and Prestige Suites sleep three.
- Largest Executive and Two Bedroom Suites About 61 square metres each, for up to four guests.
Dining
A starred table upstairs.
Venues as listed by the hotel; the star is from the MICHELIN Guide Italy. Shown for information.
- Luca's by Paulo Airaudo One Michelin star Contemporary Paulo Airaudo, on the first floor
- Luca's Bar Cocktails Next to the restaurant
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by noon.
- Children All ages are welcome. Cots and extra beds are on request and must be confirmed by the hotel.
- Pets Accepted on request; a fee may apply.
- Parking Private parking is available nearby and must be booked ahead.
Getting there
Flying to Florence.
Florence Peretola is about 6 kilometres away, around 20 minutes by car, our estimate. Business jets land at Peretola too; larger aircraft use Pisa or Bologna, each an hour or more from Florence by road, our estimate.
- Nice 45 min
- Olbia 50 min
- Geneva 1 h 00
- Paris 1 h 30
- London 1 h 55
Questions
What guests ask first.
- Does Hotel La Gemma have a MICHELIN-starred restaurant?
- Yes. Luca's by Paulo Airaudo, on the first floor, holds one MICHELIN star.
- Does Hotel La Gemma hold a MICHELIN Key?
- No. It is not in the 2026 MICHELIN Key selection for Italy.
- Is there a spa?
- Yes. Allure Spa sits in the old cellars, with a Turkish bath and Biologique Recherche treatments.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Florence?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Florence, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Florence
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Four Seasons Hotel Firenze A Renaissance palazzo with frescoed ceilings in the Gherardesca Garden, with an outdoor pool and the starred Il Palagio.
- Villa Cora Built by Baron Oppenheim for his bride in the nineteenth century, near the Boboli Gardens, with a heated pool open all year.
- Villa La Massa A Medici-era villa on the Arno in some twenty-two acres of park, open from late March to early November, with a shuttle to the Ponte Vecchio.
- Hotel Lungarno Run by the Ferragamo family on the south bank, with Picasso and Cocteau in the lounge and the Ponte Vecchio framed from its restaurant.
- Brunelleschi Hotel A private museum of the building's history, a top-floor view of the cathedral, and the two-star Santa Elisabetta inside.
- The St. Regis Florence A palazzo first planned by Brunelleschi, with some rooms looking onto the Arno.
- Grand Hotel Minerva Redesigned by Carlo Scarpa in the 1950s, with a rooftop pool open in the warm months.
- Collegio alla Querce A sixteenth-century farm that became a Catholic boarding school, now 83 rooms about fifteen minutes by car from the Duomo.
- Portrait Firenze Thirty-seven rooms and suites on the river beside the Ponte Vecchio, rated Five-Star by Forbes Travel Guide in 2026.
- Hotel Savoy Olga Polizzi did the interiors, and the trattoria downstairs, Irene, is named after Lady Forte.
- Sina Villa Medici, Autograph Collection An early nineteenth-century palazzo where the monastery of Sant'Anna once stood, its garden and pool shared with Harry's Bar The Garden.
- Il Salviatino A fifteenth-century villa of 39 rooms looking down on the city, with its spa in the old greenhouse and a shuttle into town.
- COMO Castello Del Nero A twelfth-century castle in the Chianti hills, with a COMO Shambhala spa.
- The Place Firenze Suites on the square in front of the basilica, with one MICHELIN Key and a bar and restaurant serving through the day.
- Hotel Bernini Palace While Florence was capital of Italy, deputies and senators met in its frescoed Sala Parlamento, now the breakfast room.
- Helvetia & Bristol Eleonora Duse stayed here on her visits to Florence, and its Winter Garden restaurant was a meeting place for writers.
- Villa La Vedetta A villa on the hill of Piazzale Michelangelo, with an outdoor pool and a restaurant of its own.
- Villa Le Maschere A villa resort in the Mugello hills whose wellness centre includes a Turkish bath.
Staying at Hotel La Gemma?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Florence, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.