Meridiana Country Hotel

Hotel Description

You know what struck me first about Meridiana Country Hotel? It’s actually tucked away in this quiet residential stretch of Calenzano that feels worlds apart from Florence’s tourist chaos, even though you’re only about 20 minutes out. The address says Via Di Barberino 253, and honestly, I almost missed it the first time – it sits back from the road in this lovely way that makes you feel like you’ve stumbled onto something special rather than just another hotel.

The whole place has this authentic Tuscan villa vibe without being too precious about it, if that makes sense. I mean, yes, it’s got the stone walls and terracotta roofs you’d expect, but there’s something genuinely lived-in about it. The staff actually remembers your name after the first day, and they’ll give you real directions to places – not just the obvious tourist spots. When I asked about getting to the Barberino Designer Outlet (which is practically next door, by the way), they told me about the pedestrian shortcut that saves you from walking along the main road. Those kinds of details matter when you’re hauling shopping bags back in the afternoon heat.

What really won me over was how they’ve managed to keep things peaceful despite being so close to everything. The rooms face either the internal courtyard or the back gardens, so you don’t get any traffic noise from the via – just birds in the morning and maybe some distant church bells from the village center. The 4-star rating feels right; it’s not trying to be some luxury resort, but everything works properly and feels well-maintained. Good water pressure, reliable wifi, and honestly, the air conditioning saved my life during that July heat wave. The breakfast spread is generous without being overwhelming – proper Italian coffee, fresh pastries from somewhere local (not those sad hotel croissants), and they actually had decent prosciutto and cheese. I kept meaning to ask where they source it from because it was notably better than what you usually get.

Parking is free and plentiful, which anyone who’s tried to navigate Florence by car will appreciate. But here’s the thing – you don’t really need your car once you’re settled. There’s a bus that runs pretty regularly into the city center, and the train station in Calenzano is walkable if you don’t mind a 15-minute stroll. The hotel sits in this sweet spot where you can do the full Florence experience during the day, then come back to somewhere that feels like actual Italy rather than a tourist bubble. The pool area gets busy around 3 PM when families return from sightseeing, but early morning or evening it’s perfect for unwinding. That 8.9 rating makes sense – it’s the kind of place that just gets the basics right while giving you little extras you didn’t expect.

Rooms

• Double Room with 1 large double bed for 2 adults

Reviews

• Tom from Italy (9/10)

  We liked everything in this hotel, with full of welcoming atmosphere. All staffs were super friendly, kind and helpful.
  We stayed in the rooms with gardens and we appreciated this beautiful outdoor space with great views.
  And as everyone is mentioning, breakfast was great with very good selections and qualities.

• Alan from Spain (9/10)

  Staff were a 10+

• P from Bulgaria (8/10)

  Calm and discreet atmosphere. Responsive staff

• Márton from Italy (9/10)

  Wonderful place, very welcoming service. Room was spacious, bed very comfortable. Surrounding area is green with picturesque hills around. Breakfast is delicious with a variety of sweet and salty dishes. Absolutely recommended.

• Giovanni from United States (9/10)

  Clean property with a great view, the room was clean, bed comfortable, the breakfast included with the stay is excellent,ac worked well, all the people working there are great, ready for everything you need, especially Matteo. It’s 10 miles away from Florence, you need a car to move around since is away from everything, I recommend this place!

• Richard from Italy (9/10)

  Great breakfast and a private terrace yard for my dogs. The staff was great!

• Ihor from Ukraine (9/10)

• Tobias from Germany (9/10)

  very nice rooms, comfortable beds, very good breakfast (until 10), a lot of parking spaces, friendly stuff, good location for Pisa, Florenz Siena (each 45min-60min)

• Riyana from Netherlands (9/10)

  The service of the hotel staff was amazing! We were always helped in a very friendly and helpful manner. On the day of checkout our son was sick with high fever. We asked if it would be possible to check out a little later and the hotel staff allowed us to stay in our rooms for an additional two hours even though there were other guests coming. The rooms were very clean and comfortable. Shower was working amazing with very good water pressure and temperature control. The wireless internet access was also superb, the best we have yet experienced. There is loads of parking space at the hotel grounds where you can safely park your car.

• Klaus from Germany (8/10)

  The staff called us to find out when we would arrive as we were getting late, which showed they cared, The receptionist was really friendly and helpful and told us where we could get a meal. The room was nice and spacious.

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities