Pensione Bencistà

Wonderful family owned pensione with a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. A timeless gem of a hotel where many generations have experienced the beauty of Fiesole and the outstanding view on the vine and wisteria covered terrace of Florence- The best place to sip a glass of Italian wine whilst relaxing after a hard days visit to Florence. Highly recommended.

This property is a converted monastery with a killer view of the entire city. The rooms are a bit small and the bathtub/shower with no curtain is a bit of a challenge to master. Outdoor gardens and gazebos are around every corner for multiple opportunities to gaze out over the city. The layout of the property is quirky. I don't think I came close to discovering all the small, quiet little rooms and libraries. If you are trying to blitz tour the city the property is 30 minutes and about a $20-25 cab ride from city center. A city bus is about a 10 minute walk up a substantial hill but will get you to town efficiently and at a standard bus rate. The hotel has a prefixe dinner nightly which is very reasonable and excellent, featuring multiple courses. We enjoyed their wine selection too. The breakfast buffet is very tasty (tomato salsa) but with the fewest selections of any place we stayed. For the unhurried traveler, this is a perfect place to base an extended stay in the area. We saw no children while we were there. The overall ambience might not be a good fit for kids. The staff were most gracious and helpful especially the might manager who doubles as bartender and will give Americans all the ice they want without judgement.