Hotel Continentale: how to make friends with Florence

"Blooming", which is exactly how the name of Florence is translated, will be able to turn everyone's head. The green scarf of the Arno River, which, like avant-garde pin brooches, pinned boats, necklaces of bridges led by the elder - the Ponte Vecchio jewelers' bridge, photogenic gardens that in the spring are drugged with lilac clouds of wisteria and the cold perfection of camellias, as if cut from fine leather and made Sighing Tuscan hills on the horizon - this beauty knows how to pose for spectacular Instagram photos. But if you want to really make friends with Flo, as the locals sometimes gently and easily address her, then put the guides in your suitcase and get ready to go a lot.

But first you need to choose a starting point, or rather a hotel, from which it will be convenient to start all routes in Florence, and in the evening it is pleasant to return home.

Take a closer look at the small Hotel Continentale, part of the Lungarno Collection, which belongs to one of the most influential families in modern Florence - Ferragamo. Correctly set light and energetic rhythm of a fashion catwalk - this is how you can characterize the dynamic nature of this design hotel. His style is a tribute to the 50s of the 20th century, when Florence was the fashionable capital of Italy. The charm of the ubiquitous view of the ancient Ponte Vecchio bridge echoes the white color and modernist details created by famous designers of the 20th century and skilled Tuscan craftsmen. Climb up to the medieval Consorti tower and experience the modern rhythm of the city with a glass of wine on the terrace of La Terrazza bar, which opened after the March 15 winter break.

The hotel has a total of 43 rooms and suites ranging from 22 to 46 square meters. m, some of the rooms overlooking the Arno River. The design idea of snow-white rooms with leather details refers to the fashion of the 50s. Everything from canopy beds, expensive fabrics and leather elements is made to order by architect Michele Bonan. But perhaps the main treasure of the hotel is the Panoramic Consorti Suite, a two-story penthouse with a huge bathroom on the second floor, from where you can admire the flow of two rivers at once - Arno and the tourist along the Bridge of Jewelers.

“What do you have for breakfast?”

- Florence, please, and a portion of bridges.

Do you still need a reason to go to Florence in the spring? Then here it is: from May 15 on the top of the medieval tower of Consorti, one of the few surviving in the city, from 7 to 11 in the morning breakfast will be served in the bar La Terrazza. If you already once felt dizzy from cocktails or from the view of Florence from this bar, then in May it's time to wake up with a cup of coffee and take the most spectacular breakfast photos in your life.

What will La Terrazza have for breakfast, besides a hot view of Florence? Cappuccino and other types of coffee, a large selection of tea (although someone in Italy drinks tea, only someone who has a little tea). Juices from orange to blueberry, from pineapple to multivitamin. Muesli, yogurt, fruits and berries, croissants and other pastries, tempting cakes. Pancakes can be ordered upon request. Buon appetito!

Why does a girl with a pearl earring dive mask?

Of course, you will not be able to resist the authority of the Uffizi Gallery and go look at the countless treasures collected over the 300 years by the Medici family, the unspoken "masters" of the city on the Arno River. It is better to come to the Uffizi closer to closing, but with a margin of 2-3 hours. Because to get to the "Holy Family" by Michelangelo, "Spring" by Botticelli, "Venus of Urbino" by Titian and other masterpieces familiar from childhood from reproductions will be quite difficult. But sometimes it happens that after the announcement of the museum’s closure in half an hour, all law-abiding tourists rush to the exit, and you find yourself face to face with all the wonders of the Uffizi, just like “Scorpion” - the heroine of the excellent historical film “Tea from Mussolini”, one of the main roles in which Cher played.

If you suddenly notice signs of Stendhal Syndrome, or, as it is also called, Florence Syndrome, an oversaturation with works of art, immediately run out to the museum terrace, take hot chocolate or refreshing white wine in the cafeteria and just admire the Blossoming from above, checking the clock with the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace).

But Flo, like a modern fashionista, has bright tattoos, or rather graffiti, which do not spoil the look of the historical center at all, rather, on the contrary, turn a walk through some areas of the city into a fun quest.

For example, try to find in the bohemian area of San Niccolo graffiti of a mysterious artist Blub, whose name is as secret as the identity of the British provocateur Banksy.

In the area of San Niccolo, in the room allocated by the City Hall, lived from 1983 to 1986, the great director Andrei Tarkovsky, who wrote that "Florence is a city that brings hope back." And Blub brings youth back to works of art with its L'arte Sa Nuotare project, "Art Knows How to Swim." The Blub brand name is a diving mask, which he “wore” on many classic images from the “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Vermeer to the “Duke and Duchess of Urbinsky” by Piero della Francesca (the original you will see in Uffizi), from the angels of Raphael to “Venus” Botticelli. Instagram has a Blub community, so when you find one of the original graffiti, don't forget to take a selfie.

White Iris Beauty Spa by comfort zone - white spa kingdom

After strolling around in Florence, return to the Continentale Hotel to gain strength for the next day. Take a look at the White Iris Beauty Spa and book one or several treatments based on the comfort zone organic cosmetics line. A variety of procedures and wellness rituals will allow you to make a kind of journey-knowledge of yourself. Light wood tones, laconic style, dim lighting and snow-white fabrics - everything in White Iris Beauty Spa sets the sensual perception of beauty rituals from the comfort zone, providing the maximum comfort zone in the historic center of Florence. At the White Iris Beauty Spa you can go through the Tibetan Sound Massage complex using traditional singing bowls or Salt Massage using Himalayan salt stones and an oil bath with pink Himalayan salt.

Also, be sure to try the new Tranquillity Pro-Sleep ritual, which perfectly copes with the symptoms of changing time zones - a biorhythm disturbance, stress and insomnia.

This innovative massage affects three senses at once: the sense of smell - due to the use of aromatic oils, hearing - special relaxing music was created for the ritual, as well as tactile sensations - special brushes are used during the massage, as in Indonesian Ayurvedic practices. After the massage, the body relaxes completely, and the skin becomes moisturized and tender.

Well, at sunset, head back to the La Terrazza bar at the Continentale to enjoy a glass of sparkling Prosecco overlooking the many bridges or raise a glass of Negroni to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this popular cocktail overlooking the 700-year-old Palazzo Vecchio.