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Hotel Abaco's big, boisterous owner, Bruno may look like a rugby forward, but he's got a tender spot for 17th-century Florentine baroque and a gorgeous eye for detail. A 15th-century palazzo on a quiet street just off of heavily-touristed Piazza Santa Maria Novella houses his seven-room masterpieces, with rooms named after the masters!
Take the Botticelli room. The birth of Venus crowns a plush corona-style bed, dripping with red velvet and outfitted with polished dark wood, gilding, and parquet floors. Giotto, Fiorentino, Leonardo, Caravaggio, and Rafael follow suit, in shades of deep red or blue, parquet or marble floors, gold-painted cherubs, ornate nightstands, and plush brocades. Michelangelo even sports a miniature version of David, who Bruno jokingly warns, watches what his patrons do at night. Wink. Bathrooms are small and basic.
Enjoy breakfast or lounge about in the dimly-lit hall—also ravishing—with wood-beamed ceilings and red carpet. Bruno takes care of his guests with a fatherly kindness.
The one-star rating of this small, central gem is a serious understatement.
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