"What felt most important to preserve was the hotel's connection to Florence itself — its position within the life of the city," says Olga Polizzi, gesturing towards Piazza della Repubblica.
The square has been Hotel Savoy's front garden for more than a century; a place where Florentines meet, digest news over coffee and cross paths throughout the day. Lady Olga speaks about it with the familiarity of a close neighbour.
We meet just weeks after the completion of Hotel Savoy's year-long refurbishment, undertaken with architect Saimir Zhilli. Every room has been reconsidered, every detail carefully chosen. Running through the project is the idea of Kilometre Zero — looking first to Florence itself, commissioning local artisans, workshops and institutions wherever possible.
"Working with local artisans is essential if you want a hotel to feel authentic," she continues. "Florence is extraordinary in that respect — the depth of skill and tradition here is quite remarkable, and it would have been a missed opportunity not to draw on that."
Just beyond the entrance, a Santa Maria Novella boutique sits beside the reception. Founded in 1221, the Florentine perfume house has welcomed generations through its doors with fragrances and botanical remedies still made a short walk from the hotel.
It's the first of many introductions. Behind the reception desk, carved wooden reliefs by two of Florence's last remaining master craftsmen draw the eye. Lady Olga pauses to point them out. "Unfortunately, even in Florence there are not many of these wonderful craftsmen left," she reflects while recounting conversations with makers who have spent decades perfecting a single skill.
Polizzi, Olga
What felt most important to preserve was the hotel's connection to Florence itself
Upstairs, the Duomo Presidential Suite looks directly onto Brunelleschi's iconic dome. It's the sort of view that encourages you to linger, but inside there's just as much to discover. Bronze tables and gold-leaf mirrors come from Il Bronzetto, the Florentine metal workshop founded in 1963. Bespoke bookcases by Castorina are filled with carefully chosen books, including Lady Olga's signature collection of P.G. Wodehouse novels, found in every hotel she designs. Hand-selected antiques from Florentine house Barthel sit alongside contemporary pieces. In the bathroom, white Carrara marble lines the walls, the same stone Michelangelo chose for his sculptures.
The conversation turns from craftsmanship to comfort. "A sense of space is important," says Lady Olga. "Rooms are no longer simply places to sleep; they are spaces where people spend more time — working, relaxing, sometimes entertaining."
That thinking has shaped the refurbishment in practical ways. New suite configurations allow families and friends to stay together, with more connecting rooms. "We thought carefully about how guests might move through the space. The rooms could adapt to different ways of living. That means generous layouts, thoughtful storage, good lighting, and a balance between practicality and elegance."
Practicality, however, never comes at the expense of personality. "Guests are increasingly drawn to spaces that feel individual rather than standardised," she adds. "We try to add a fun picture or object to make guests smile. Something they remember when they have left."
Back downstairs, our journey leads to Bar Artemisia where the room is beginning to fill as afternoon slips towards evening. Behind a sweep of marble, mixologists shake cocktails while guests settle into velvet banquettes. It's easy to imagine it becoming one of Florence's favourite addresses after dark.
Named after the trailblazing Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi, the bar takes its artistic cue from her contemporary, Caravaggio. A bespoke mural by Adam Ellis wraps around the bar, a reimagining of Bacchus. At first glance, it feels entirely true to the period. Then Lady Olga points to a mobile phone clasped in one character's hand. Another holds a takeaway coffee cup. They were added, she explains, to introduce a “sense of fun".
From Bar Artemisia, it's only a few steps to the hotel’s elegant trattoria, Irene. Named after Lady Olga’s mother, Lady Irene Forte, the restaurant celebrates the woman whose generosity and love of entertaining helped shape the family's approach to hospitality. That influence extends into the room itself.
Pointing to the marble floor beneath our feet, its intricate pattern inspired by the historic osterie that once surrounded the piazza, she explains: "We wanted it to catch the attention of the passing public. It feels very Florentine."
Nearby, the breakfast table tells another story. Made by the craftspeople of San Patrignano, a community that helps people recovering from drug addiction learn traditional skills, its gilded foliage pattern incorporates Florence's iconic lily. It's one of the room's quieter details, but perhaps one of its most meaningful.
Taking a seat on Irene's terrace overlooking Piazza della Repubblica, Lady Olga's vision feels fully realised. Every room has introduced another piece of Florence — its makers, its institutions and its traditions — each folded naturally into the fabric of the hotel.
Lady Olga hoped the refurbishment would leave "a sense that the hotel belongs very clearly to Florence." After spending time here, it's difficult to imagine it belonging anywhere else.
Step inside Hotel Savoy and experience Florence through the people, craftsmanship and stories that bring the city to life.
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