Plaza Lucchesi review: the most amazing rooftop pool in Florence

How we found the best rooftop pool in Florence at the Plaza Lucchesi Hotel

This review of Hotel Plaza Lucchesi is based on an independent stay. We were two friends travelling together sharing one room with two beds. I’ll never recommend a hotel unless I’ve personally stayed there and loved it.

Florence is one of the great cities of the world. The capital of picturesque Tuscany, the birthplace of the Renaissance, home to Michelangelo’s David, location of a million sunset selfies and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You might think it doesn’t matter where to stay in Florence because you’ll be out exploring. But what if your hotel is so good it actually makes you want to stay in?

Plaza Lucchesi is one of the best hotels I’ve stayed at in the world. It’s in a perfect location by the river, has an awesome rooftop pool and bar with some of the best sunset views in Florence and excellent service.

Here’s why this was the best hotel in Florence for us.

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Finding a hotel in Santa Croce

I spent a lot of time looking at neighbourhood maps to decide where my friend and I should stay. My cool friends had recommended Santo Spirito, on the “other side” of the river. What about in the thick of things in the Historic Centre? The budget-friendly San Lorenzo? Florence is compact, and very walkable. Frankly, every neighbourhood seemed great.

Sometimes I pick a neighbourhood mostly to stay at a certain hotel and this was the case in Florence.

Plaza Hotel Lucchesi is a 4-star hotel with 92 rooms over 4 floors located right on the Arno River, a short walk from the historic centre in an area called Santa Croce.

It’s about a 15 walk to Uffizi art gallery or Ponte Vecchio bridge—beautiful walks along the riverside that aren’t too crowded. The Santa Croce Basilica is right behind you. We also walked to Piazza della Republica (quite a few times) and never got bored of the surrounding streets filled with gelato shops and the buzz of happy young people shopping or going to bars. We could choose whether to be in the crowd, or leave them behind. And don’t forget to go see Galileo’s mummified finger at the science museum, also nearby.

If you’re driving, the hotel is also just outside the Limited Traffic Zone (ZTL) so you can actually pull right up to unload or pick someone up without any hassle, unlike a lot of accommodations closer to the centre.

A room with a view

We chose to upgrade to a Deluxe Room, which had a large balcony overlooking the river.

And were pleased to discover this was not one of those European hotels where you can have a nice view if you stick your head out the window and turn your neck, or a tiny balcony that barely fits a chair.  No, we could throw open the curtains of our panoramic windows and see the breadth of the Arno before us. The replica David towering over the city from the Piazzale Michelangelo was right across the way, and we could catch the sunset going down over various bridges while sipping our own drinks.

The views from our room at Plaza Hotel Lucchesi made it feel like we had our own private piece of Florence.

Plaza Lucchesi’s rooftop pool

We loved the views from our room but even better were the views from the Plaza Hotel Lucchesi’s rooftop.

On the top of the hotel is a gorgeous space to enjoy a 360 degree view of the Florence skyline. The pool itself is quite small and not deep—it’s for relaxing, cooling off, or being seen, not for swimming. Have I mentioned how incredibly hot it was since we were there in an August heat wave? So that pool was an absolute lifeline for this sun-sensitive goth girl!

Comfortable loungers and couches surround the space, but it’s full sun up there, no umbrellas. So if you’re like me, you’ll want to pack a sunhat. And here’s a tip that applies to almost any hotel pool but especially a small one with incredibly gorgeous views: the best time to go is between check out and check-in, before the new arrivals show up. Because the first thing we did upon checking in was rush up there, and so does everyone else. We generally did our sightseeing in the morning, then came back to cool down in the pool at the height of the heat before heading back out for dinner and evening fun.

The pool is open during summer only and is reserved for hotel guests during the day. After 7pm, they close the pool and open the rooftop bar and restaurant to non-guests with reservations.

Fantastic food and drinks

The Plaza Hotel Lucchesi restaurant Empireo serves lunch and aperitivo in an upscale casual environment on the rooftop. Their Empireo restaurant menu is small—a couple of salads, pastas and sandwiches—but it was delicious. And there was shade! Gluten-free options were available.

What I really loved was the vibe at night, when a DJ or small acoustic act would play to the setting sun. And that their custom cocktails are named for songs, from Maria Callas to The Clash. They also serve excellent non-alcoholic cocktails. I don’t listen to Bon Jovi or Aerosmith much but I thoroughly enjoyed my “Crazy” (like a pina colada) and “Always” (elderberry, lime, cucumber, mint).

I make no secret that I appreciate a hotel bar—after a long day walking and looking at art I’m often too tired to bar hop. A good hotel bar like the Empireo lets me “go out” and meet other people not just crash in my room. But it’s also really easy to just go crash in my room after!

A hotel with history

To back up a bit, I learned during my stay that Plaza Hotel Lucchesi has a long history, originating as a pension in the mid 1800s and surviving several Arno river floods. There’s a plaque in the hotel commemorating a visit from the then King of Italy, Umberto I, in 1890. They’ve also hosted author D.H. Lawrence (in the 1920s) and a bevy of notables in the ‘50s and ‘60s including future French president François Mitterrand and Swedish actress Anita Ekberg, of Fellini’s Trevi fountain scene fame. More recently, they boast of guests like Celine Dion, David Byrne and Mark “Luke Skywalker” Hamill. I didn’t spot any A-listers on our trip, but perhaps you will.

In fact, we felt very comfortable at Plaza Hotel Lucchesi. For all its chic features it’s not overwhelming bougie, and the customer service is warm and friendly.

Disclaimer: we did get a great deal on our room, in those just-out-of-pandemic discount days. While I do think it’s worth a splurge, the rates are now twice what we paid so I would say try to find a deal because at 600 Euro/night you might be less impressed.

If you’re seeking a hotel in Florence that’s cool but not pretentious, close to attractions, but with a bit more space and quiet, I highly recommend it.

Plaza Hotel Lucchesi is at Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia, 38 50122 – Florence – Italy.