The Hotel Nizza, A Florentine History Almost 700 Years Long

L'Nice hotels is among the very few Florence hotels registered Florentine Historical Exercises, established by the City of Florence in recognition of those activities that have been carried out for more than 70 years in places in the city of special value and historical value.

The palace which hosts theFlorence Nice Hotel Has existed for almost 700 years.

In fact, the hotel is located where the city's first municipal walls, erected between 1173 and 1175, once stood. In 1284 the municipality decided to expand the existing circle of walls, building a much larger one that would include the new hamlets that had sprung up outside the previous one. The work was completed in 1333, and the demolition of the old walls gave way to a new urbanization that also unearthed-thanks to the excavated materials-the palace that now houses the hotel. Extensive research is still underway, but certainly in the 1800s a number of monks were housed in the building, including the famous Bernardino Bambi, whose stay in the building is evidenced by a marble plaque, preserved in the present breakfast room.

It is assumed, therefore, that hospitality was already the primary function of the building from its construction, since all the land beyond the bordering circle of walls was probably owned by the Church of Santa Maria Novella. The structure then saw its conception as a hotel in the modern sense in 1911, later reconfirmed by a Chamber of Commerce document in 1924 recently found among old papers in an attic.
L'Hotel Nizza has been completely renovated over the years, while retaining original details and character. With the last renovation carried out in the winter of 2001 using. local materials such as terracotta, wood, marble and pietra serena, 18 rooms have been totally renovated: now all are equipped with private bath, air conditioning, satellite television, hairdryer, direct dial telephone, and safe deposit box.

The furnishings and structure enjoy continuous and careful maintenance respectful of details, in the consciousness that the Nice Hotel in its category is truly a little gem.

Today Roberto and Michele (the last direct descendant of that Jacopo Lassi who in 1297 was an ambassador of peace between the Pisans and the Lucchese in the nefarious period of the wars between the communes) their respective families and their staff seek, always in harmony with the history and origins of the building, to carry on a tradition as old as hospitality. Hotel Nizza has the pride of being one of the few Florentine doc businesses still family-run that has retained its identity closely linked to the city, respecting that local tradition of hospitality that the owners have handed down by running the hotel for many generations.