The Bar/Lounge at Villa Cora

"A luxury hotel with history and style just south of the center of Florence, the Villa Cora was built in the late 1860s by Baron Oppenheim, a German financier, and was restored in 2010"

"Service is understated and yet somehow manages to anticipate every whim, with that glass of chianti or an Aperol Spritz arriving at your poolside lounger just as you were thinking of it"

"It has two terrific restaurants—the elegant gourmet Il Pasha and a luminous garden restaurant next to the heated white-stone pool—as well as two bars, one with an impressive selection of cigars, and a full-service spa with a sauna, steam room, and massive whirlpool bath"

"This elegant late-19C villa surrounded by century-old gardens offers a profusion of frescoed lounges and marble and stucco decor"

"However, Villa Cora's facilities are as varied as they get in Florence: full-service dining room, bar, heated outdoor pool, day spa, sophisticated lounges, meeting space and spacious period-infused accommodations"

"This may have been the case, but when I ’fess up to the staff, they barely bat an eyelid and go back to fussing over the boy like adoring aunts"