Finally! Something different in Florence, for once. I have been visiting this part of the world since I was a child—I once had family in Montelupo Fiorentino—so for many years, Florence was my second home come my family’s summertime break. Over the years I have seen so much Medieval bling it can get a bit boring, so when I got dibs, there was something new on the Florentine block, I was immediately intrigued. This Time Tomorrow—the baby of co-founders Canadian Pierre Ferland and Thomas Odenthal—is set slap bang in the middle of the very tourist-free residential neighbourhood of Le Cure, a 15-minute or so stroll away from the historic centre of Florence.
It’s not your traditional boutique hotel city stay by any standards. Think off-piste, less spenny and totally immersive. Spread across a late 19th-century abitazione (home) the concept nails the “living like a local” trend without even really trying. The art-filled neoclassical pied-à-terre split over eight enormous apartments from the basement up is so immersed in its surroundings you often hear your neighbours chatting about their days and laundry piles from your terracotta balcony. Beyond the concept of a fancy apartment holiday rental stay, the whole thing is modelled under the guise of a total “curatorship.” Mine for my stay was Neri, and his job was to curate an itinerary and a stay fashioned from my own personal tastes. The brief was simple: keep me away from mass tourism and show me a side of Florence I didn’t know.
Did he get the digs right? In short, yes. My apartment for two nights was 1A, a two-bedroom demi palazzo on the first floor complete with restored frescoes, hanging tapestries, fine artwork (the hotel’s art collection includes everything from a Mannerist masterpiece by Jacob de Backer to a rare Dali lithograph), sexy Milanese-esque bathroom crowned by roomy tubs, and a modern Tuscan kitchen stocked with a welcome basket full of regional and season goodies. It’s a fine blend of Medieval Toscana meets modern Italian and European flair—and it works in such a way that it respects its history as well as the pace of a forward-thinking Italy (No La Dolce Vita here, basically). Up top, there’s a rooftop terrace that spies the terracotta tiles of Le Cure and is a nice spot for an aperitivo or an after-hours drink up.
There’s no restaurant here, and instead, you are encouraged to get out and explore where the locals eat. Caffe Lietta is a nice spot for a pastry or coffee in Piazza della Libertà, and come dinner, right on your doorstep, Ristorante Alfredo plates up your typical trattoria fare, minus the BS. Locals eat here for the run-of-the-day menu and to bitch about their days with the no-nonsense staff who serve drama, as well as taste. I didn’t stop for breakfast as I travelled elsewhere, but you will find receipts to grab a cornetto and an espresso in a café around the corner café on your dining room table. Crazy Bar was a personal favourite.
As everything here is bespoke, experiences are on the impromptu side (bar the walkabout of Florence with a member of the Ferragamo family). The YOLO nature of This Time Tomorrow is what makes a stay here interesting and special. You can tour private galleries or jump on a hot air balloon over the city at the click of a WhatsApp message to Neri. In my case, it was a two-hour meet and greet with sculptor Jason Arkles, who showed me his design studio wedged inside private art museum Museo Luigi Bellini. Expect period medieval wanderings and the chance to smash a slab of marble while getting into the thick of Florence’s artistic side via one of its best teachers and creatives. And while there’s a lot of emphasis on the exclusive, the truth is you don’t really have to do anything. I skipped lunch suggestions one day and just made my own pasta in my kitchen. You can’t get the buzz of feeling more local than that, right?
Fast Facts
Location: Le Cure, Florence
Rating: Five-star
The Vibe: Live like a local. No, seriously.
Room Count: 8
Starting Rate: From 800 USD per night.
Dining: Hit up the local, as there is nothing to eat here, unless you cook it or order in.
Our favourite thing about the place: The neighbourhood vibe. You feel a part of it, and that’s a feeling you cannot get in any other bog-standard hotel in the city.
Closest Airport: Florence Airport
