As I learned while travelling in Tuscany with my wife and our cute, and oh-so-bald one-year old, a luxuriously stimulating and restorative visit to Florence with an infant is easy—wink, wink. All we needed to do was check in to the St. Regis Hotel in the heart of Florence and let nature—the hotel staff’s quintessentially Italian love of children combined with their innate ability to make their guests feel like “family”—run its course.
Florence at night. Credit Arthur Goh
In fact, my wife and I breathed a welcome sigh of relief as soon as we felt the “whoosh” of air conditioning in the lobby because, after a morning spent filling our rental car with more baby paraphernalia than humanly possible, then enjoying the wonders of Pisa’s famous tower in the searing heat of a Tuscan summer, we probably needed the respite of a fine hotel more than our little son Sam did.
After checking in, our relief quickly morphed into relaxation as we settled into our large and gloriously appointed room. The St. Regis is located in what was once a palace for renaissance nobility and it shows. The high ceilings, fine art, crystal chandeliers, and super-high thread count sheets of our deluxe room made it hard to leave. So we didn’t. At least for a while. Sam played on the sumptuous carpet and we luxuriated on the bed while trying to figure out which of the wonders of Florence we wanted to see before venturing further south into the Tuscan countryside the next day.
And this is were the fantastic staff of the St. Regis really made our stay magical. First, they sent us up to our room with a full complement of toys that only a one-year-old can really enjoy—like a little stuffed phone that said “Ciao” in four languages. Then they made sure we not only knew how to make the most of our short time in Florence, but also made all the arrangements—like getting us tickets to see Michelangelo’s David in advance—so we could beat the heat and the crowds the next morning. So once we (and the afternoon) had cooled off, we only had to stroll a few steps outside the door (held open by a truly welcoming doorman) to be immersed in the magic of Florence in the summer.
So we strolled—literally strolled with Sam in our Ferrari-red stroller—past classical music concerts in the Piazza della Signoria, romantics enjoying the sunset on the Ponte Vecchio, tourists from all over the world marveling at Il Duomo di Firenze, and a Medieval palace that now houses the Ferragamo Museum.
But the best part of all may have been…the gelato…at least for Sam. The St. Regis made our stay in Florence relaxing, luxurious, and truly memorable. I can’t wait to go back or recommend it more (with kids or without). And we brought Sam with us to see Michelangelo’s famous sculpture the next day.
Credit Bill Springer
But words can’t really describe the joy we all experienced when Sam tasted his first-ever “ice-cream” in a Florentine gelato shop that night.
It was like a “whoosh” of air conditioning on a steamy summer day.
