Villa La Massa

"16th-century Medici villa on Arno river, 50 rooms, Villa d'Este Group, the Medici-villa flagship."

Why Villa La Massa for an anniversary

Villa La Massa is a Renaissance-era Medici villa on the banks of the Arno at Candeli, about fifteen minutes from the centre of Florence, and it has been part of the Villa d'Este group since 1998. For an anniversary the appeal is country-estate calm within reach of the city: 51 rooms and suites across six historic buildings, a private park running down to the river, and Il Verrocchio, set in the villa's former mill and the only restaurant in Florence with a terrace directly over the Arno, the standout setting for a celebration dinner. A pool and spa cover the daytime, and a shuttle runs into Florence for sightseeing. The honest caveat is the location: you are in the countryside at Candeli, not the historic centre, so every museum or dinner in town means the shuttle or a taxi. For a couple who want Florence by day and a quiet riverside villa by night, Villa La Massa is the romantic choice.

Best room to request

An Arno-facing suite for the river view, or a Junior Suite as the more affordable entry point.

The wider context

Villa La Massa sits within our broader Top 20 Hotels in Tuscany for an Anniversary list. It scored an aggregate 9.6/10 across the three editorial criteria, competitive against the field but, on an anniversary-specific factors, the angle above is what earned its rank. For the alternatives in the same Tuscany neighbourhood, see Bagno a Ripoli (Florence outskirts, Arno river) and adjacent. For a different city entirely, see the related lists below.

Have firm dates? Our editor's advice is to book roughly twelve weeks in advance. Rooms with the coveted orientation are claimed first, while popular-month availability runs out months in advance. Suite-level rooms with private plunge pools or terraces, the ones that earn this rank, are typically the first to sell out.

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Further reading