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The Tuscan capital is one of the world’s art and architecture meccas and its hotels show off the best of its craftsmanship. The Four Seasons Hotel Firenze is a Renaissance palazzo decked out in ornate frescoes, gilded chandeliers, and antique furnishings. Michelangelo designed the facade of Belmond Villa San Michele. The daughter of celebrated Italian architect Claudio Nardi is responsible for the tasteful rooms (Mies van der Rohe tables and Louis XIV chairs) at Riva Lofts.

Live out la dolce vita at one of these fabulous Italian hotels. Take in the legendary art and culture of Florence from the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze or enjoy a cooking lesson at the cooking school of Belmond Villa San Michele. In Venice enjoy over the top decadence at the ornate Gritti Palace or the unrivaled service at the Aman Canale Grande. In Rome, don’t miss the rooftop of Hotel Hassler and to feel like a local, book a room at the intimate G-Rough hotel.

This Ferragamo-owned restaurant is located on the river with in-your-face views of the Ponte Vecchio for the lucky few who manage to book one of the tables on the terrace. Chef Peter Brunel has been making waves with his creative menus: Borgo San Jacopo has been awarded a Michelin star for the past several years in a row. Yes, it’s expensive, but with a tasting menu featuring dishes such as porcini mushroom ice cream and fig molasses and risotto with sea urchin, it’s a meal you won’t soon forget.

A fully vegetarian menu is also available, as is a wine pairing for those adventurous eaters who would prefer for the team’s experienced somms to take the lead.

JK Place Firenze is a far cry from Florence’s obsession with all things Renaissance. Set amid the buzz of Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, this onetime private mansion is decked out in black, white, peach, gray, and chrome, with inflections of 1950s movie stars, 1970s pop art, and ornate 19th-century architecture. The reception feels like a library, and the breakfast room is a glassed-over former courtyard with a hefty antique wooden communal table. Free drinks, fresh fruit, and homemade treats (and bubbles at cocktail hour) can be found at all hours in the guests-only lounge area. Impress your well-heeled friends by inviting them to dine on the piazza terrace, presided over by the appropriately black-and-white Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, before moving downstairs to the clubby J.K. Pink Room. Slip upstairs to your individually designed room for a divine night’s sleep, then awake ready to take on one of the world’s most historic cities.

This women’s fashion shop, tucked away on a quiet street just behind Portrait Firenze, is where contemporary finds by smaller local designers sit beside vintage clothing and accessories by the big-branded likes of Prada, Gucci and Marni.

You will probably smell a whiff of roses emanating from Aquaflor well before you arrive. Inside the stunning 16th-century Palazzo Corsini-Serristori in the Santa Croce neighborhood, Sileno Cheloni creates scents that vividly evoke the Tuscan seaside or pine forests. Cheloni studied with a Sufi master in Cyprus and worked in Milan and Lucca to learn Renaissance techniques before opening this shop, made up of three rooms lined with wooden apothecary cabinets that display glass bottles. Large tables are piled with soaps in scents like tomato-leaf and rose. Spend some time in the Parlor of Essences to create your own unique bouquet or learn about the rare oils that are used to fashion the signature fragrances.

If you get a chance to book seats for a night at the opera in Florence, grab it! The city has a new opera house, the Opera di Firenze, a €150 million theatre complex near the Cascine Park. Opera was born in this city when Jacopo Peri’s ‘Dafne’, was performed at Palazzo Corsi on Via Tornabuoni in 1598, and has always played an important part in cultural life here. The soaring cubic complex constructed on a plot near the Cascine Park was designed by Paolo Desideri twinkles from within at night: It houses a handsome 2,000-seater opera theatre equipped with state-of-the-art stage equipment, a yet-to-be-inaugurated second auditorium and an outdoor amphitheater for summer performances. Try and catch a performance of something Italian, maybe some Puccini, Bellini or Verdi. The Florentines do it very well!

It should come as no surprise that, in the heart of historic Florence, a 15-minute walk from the Duomo, presides a Renaissance palazzo—the home of Florentine nobility for centuries. Decorated with ornate frescoes, gilded chandeliers, and antique furnishings, the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze’s soaring halls and suites are fit for a king. The hotel is surrounded by 11 manicured acres of gardens—the Giardino della Gherardesca—their hidden pathways, serene pools, and ancient trees made for romantic promenades and hours curled up with a book. The dining rooms are among the most sought-after in Florence, and the elegant terraces buzz at all hours with a who’s who of Florentine clientele coming to pay their respects to this grande dame.

A bastion of true Renaissance luxury in a bustling city, the Four Seasons treats all guests like they’re the master of the house: no request too much, a gourmet meal offered at any hour, the most restorative and soothing spa treatments available at the snap of a finger.

It may be way out in the boomies, but this small music club is the only place in Florence where you can catch live jazz nightly. The line-up features the odd internationally-known name as well as a more local scene, and if you want to join in, there are jam sessions each Monday.

This most central of the city’s clubs is a popular hang-out with young Florentines and foreign students. Dance sounds come from top Italian DJs with the odd global star, and once you’ve done your stuff on the dance floor, there’s a restaurant to fuel you up for the next round.

Not far from Florence’s Ferragamo and Gucci headquarters, this new indoor-outdoor bar and restaurant along the Arno has become a go-to spot for the city’s most fashionable, especially during aperitivo—the Italian post-work happy hour.

This independent bookstore feels like a cozy home, with rooms full of books and comfortable chairs in which to sit and browse. Fans of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code may recognize the shop as the one where Robert Langdon searched for Dante’s Divine Comedy. There is an extensive selection of English-language titles about Florence, Tuscany, and Italy that range from tiny novelty volumes to large coffee-table tomes. Head to the back and you will find a few shelves of secondhand paperbacks that provide material to read that doesn’t require Wi-Fi.

This family-run bakery has been making cantucci (what you might know as biscotti) for decades. The clan’s patriarch, Roberto, mixes and rolls everything by hand in the back, using a recipe that he knows by heart—ask, and he will happily show you the original recipe, now splattered with egg whites and cocoa. Roberto’s delicate cantucci are far from the tooth-cracking kind sold at many places. If you are really lucky, a fresh batch of the dark-chocolate-and-pistachio variety may have just been pulled out of the oven when you arrive.

This small, family-run wine shop in the Oltrarno district has been a gathering place for Florentines since 1947. Now run by the founder’s grandson and his family, it remains a place where neighborhood denizens come to buy wine to take home or to have a chat over a glass. Inside the shop, floor-to-ceiling shelves display bottles from a variety of Italian regions and vintages, with options in every price range. Glasses of red or white wine, dispensed from taps, can be enjoyed at the narrow bar. Or linger a little longer: Ask for a seat at one of the sidewalk tables, then order a glass of Chianti and a snack of chicken liver pâté (made from Nonna’s recipe) served on grilled Tuscan bread.

A reservation is an absolute necessity at this very traditional and very popular Florentine trattoria. The white-tiled walls are hung with photographs and prints; hard wooden benches and tables run along the perimeter, and more tables are squeezed into the center. The menu is decidedly Tuscan with highlights like finocchiona (a fennel-flecked salami), slow-cooked beans, tortino di carciofi (artichoke in swirl of whipped eggs), and butter chicken, which is served sizzling in the pan. Save room for the house dessert: heaped layers of cream and meringue surrounded by tiny wild strawberries.