We recently met up with Antonella Chiesa, director of marketing for two Italian hotels: Villa d'Este and Villa La Massa.
Villa d'Este (pictured below) is right on Lake Como by the Swiss border, and Chiesa said that the hotel team strives to keep its historic elements intact. It closes every winter for upkeep, she said, and attracts plenty of celebs when it reopens. (She may or may not have dropped the name of a certain Oscar-winning actor who played a deranged psychiatrist in three hit movies.)
On the flip-side, Villa La Massa, just outside of Florence, is getting an Arno Spa at the end of May. The new space will have three sections for different needs: Beauty, sport and hydration. (The "Wet Area" has a Turkish bath, a sauna, cold water pools and sensory showers.)
The hotel is also offering some special-interest tours this year. The “Villas & Gardens of Tuscany” tour will take horticulturalists to some private villas and gardens throughout the region, including the Castello di Reschio in Cortona and Palazzo Corsini, where guests will have a drink with the Princess Giorgiana Corsini. The tour runs this spring from May 5 to May 11, and again in fall from September 8 to September 14.
Art fans, meanwhile, will want to try the “A Taste of Renaissance in Florence” tour with Art Historian Andrea Ghiottonelli, who will guide guests through several private collections. (Those who couldn't meet Princess Giorgiana Corsini can get their chance on this tour, and explore the Corsini palace's art and baroque landscaping.) Guests will also get exclusive access to some of the secret apartments at the Palazzo Pitti, where the Medicean
Good to know: Chiesa said some other packages are in development, including one for people who want to study the Italian language, and another for culinary fans who want to go truffle-hunting.
Nice detail: A popular Florentine perfumerie, Santa Maria Novella, has created an exclusive perfume for the hotel that guests can purchase.