As with much of Europe, Italy is still off limits for the forseeable future. However, as one of our readers’ favourite destinations – and the first place many of you have said you want go back to when this is over – we thought we’d inspire you with a round-up of the country’s greatest hotels.
It’s the sheer variety that strikes you first. Italy has as many hotels as it has destinations, from old-fashioned family-run pensioni in historic city centres to elegant lakeside resorts where you dine by candlelight at the water’s edge. There are mountain lodges with Michelin-starred restaurants, aristocratic townhouses with museum-standard collections of art and antiques, rock-hewn Amalfi Coast cliff hotels, Tuscan hilltop castles and ancient Sicilian wine estates.
Compiled by Telegraph Travel’s Italy experts, who have stayed at, reviewed and rated all these properties, this list represents a selection of special places that distil the Italian verve for dolce vita hospitality. Some – especially the coastal, island and lake resorts – are seasonal, which generally means that they open from April through to October. Not all are fabulously expensive, but all, in our view, are fabulous. Buona vacanza!
Lakes
Lake Como
Grand Hotel Tremezzo
Lake Como, Italy
From
£
503
Hotel Belvedere
Lake Como, Italy
From
£
237
Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni
Lake Como, Italy
From
£
422
Villa d’Este
Cernobbio, Italy
From
£
430
• The best hotels in Lake Como
Lake Garda
Lefay Resort & Spa
Gargnano, Italy
From
£
265
Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli
Lake Garda, Italy
From
£
957
Hotel Villa Arcadio
Salo, Lake Garda, Italy
From
£
246
Locanda San Vigilio
Garda, Lake Garda, Italy
From
£
168
Lake Iseo
Relais I Due Roccoli
Lake Iseo, Italy
From
£
88
• The best Italian Lakes hotels
Lake Maggiore
Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees & Spa
Stresa, Lake Maggiore, Italy
From
£
154
Villa & Palazzo Aminta Hotel Beauty & Spa
Stresa, Lake Maggiore, Italy
From
£
194
Lake Orta
Villa Crespi
Orta San Giulio, Lake Orta, Italy
From
£
336
The Gritti Palace
Venice, Veneto, Italy
From
£
650
Aman Venice
Venice, Veneto, Italy
From
£
1,196
Belmond Hotel Cipriani
Giudecca, Venice, Italy
From
£
620
• Europe’s best hotels for wedding venues
Florence
Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
From
£
388
J.K. Place Firenze
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
From
£
359
Villa Cora
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
From
£
288
Babuino 181
Rome, Lazio, Italy
From
£
226
Villa Spalletti Trivelli
Rome, Lazio, Italy
From
£
241
Residenza Napoleone III
Rome, Lazio, Italy
From
£
782
J.K. Place Roma
Rome, Lazio, Italy
From
£
370
• The best beach holidays in Italy
Milan
The Yard Milano
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
From
£
200
Mandarin Oriental, Milan
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
From
£
561
Park Hyatt Milan
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
From
£
566
Bulgari Milan
Milan, Lombardy, Italy
From
£
677
Rural
Rosa Alpina
Badia, Dolomites, Italy
From
£
485
Borgo Santo Pietro
Chiusdino, Tuscany, Italy
From
£
847
La Bandita Country House
Tuscany, Italy
From
£
222
Villa Bordoni
Greve in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
From
£
220
Belmond Castello di Casole
Casole d’Elsa, Tuscany, Italy
From
£
717
Palazzo Seneca
Norcia, Umbria, Italy
From
£
144
Villa Cordevigo
Lake Garda, Italy
From
£
203
Palace Merano Espace Henri Chenot
Merano, South Tyrol, Italy
From
£
390
Hotel Fragsburg
Merano, Dolomites, Italy
From
£
339
Hotel Il Pellicano
Porto Ercole, Tuscany, Italy
From
£
376
Coast
Masseria Torre Coccaro
Savelletri, Puglia, Italy
From
£
187
Masseria San Domenico
Savelletri, Puglia, Italy
From
£
348
Monastero Santa Rosa
Conca dei Marini, Amalfi Coast, Italy
From
£
575
Il San Pietro di Positano
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
From
£
371
Le Sirenuse
Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy
From
£
373
Hotel Santa Caterina
Amalfi, Amalfi Coast, Italy
From
£
410
Hotel Villa Cimbrone
Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
From
£
263
Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria
Sorrento, Italy
From
£
385
Belmond Hotel Splendido
Portofino, Liguria, Italy
From
£
561
Islands
Capofaro Locanda & Malvasia
Salina, Sicily, Italy
From
£
237
LAgnata di De André
Sardinia, Italy
From
£
146
Belmond Villa Sant’Andrea
Taormina, Sicily, Italy
From
£
305
Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo
Taormina, Sicily, Italy
From
£
302
J.K. Place Capri
Capri, Italy
From
£
740
Contributions from Kiki Deere, Fiona Duncan, Anne Hanley, Tim Jepson, Gabriella Le Breton, Lee Marshall, Belinda Maude, Mark Nicholls, Nick Trend and Nicky Swallow.