Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / France / Lyon / Villa Florentine
Villa Florentine
Lyon, France · Independent · Accessible Luxury
Up on Fourvière, Villa Florentine spent its first centuries as a Trinitarian convent, and from 1707 as the Maison de la Providence, a school for poor girls. Frescoes painted for the chapel between 1736 and 1741 were found again, restored, and classified, and they now wrap the entrance hall. Constant Giorgi bought the looted shell in 1984 and opened the hotel in 1993, in time for Jacques Chirac to stay during the 1996 G7. Thirty-six rooms at 25 montée Saint-Barthélémy still carry the Relais & Châteaux name, with the interiors lately redone by Joséphine Fossey.
- 36 rooms
- Opened 1993
- Neighborhood: Fourvière
- Interiors: Joséphine Fossey
About Villa Florentine
- In 1804 the Trinitarian nuns left Fourvière for the center of Lyon, and the building became a convalescent home for women.
- The Giorgi family company, Arteloge, sold the hotel to the Beauvallon group, which kept Villa Florentine on the door.
- The Rolling Stones stayed in 2022, and Coldplay in 2024, using the hill as a quiet base above Vieux Lyon.
History
The house on Fourvière was built in the 17th century as a convent of Trinitarian nuns, in the decades after Henri IV married Marie de Médicis and Italian artists and merchants settled in Lyon. In 1707 it became the Maison de la Providence, a home that educated poor girls. Between 1736 and 1741 a chapel was added. Its frescoes were later found, restored, and classified, and they now line the entrance hall. In 1804 the nuns left for the center of Lyon and the building became a convalescent home for women.
By the 1980s the place was abandoned, squatted, and looted. Constant Giorgi bought it in 1984. After years of permits and building work, the hotel opened in 1993. Jacques Chirac used it as his base during the G7 summit of 1996. The Giorgi company Arteloge later sold the house to the Beauvallon group, which kept the name on the door and the Relais & Châteaux affiliation. Joséphine Fossey, an ensemblière and art curator, has redesigned the interiors around the original structure.
The setting
25 montée Saint-Barthélémy, 69005 Lyon, on the Fourvière hillside above Vieux Lyon, looking over the Saône and the old town. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière shares the hill. Villa Maïa is a separate hotel, at 8 rue du Professeur Pierre Marion, on the old Antiquaille ground.
Restaurants and bars
- Le Comptoir de la Villa Florentine — Restaurant · Modern French
- La Table de la Villa Florentine — Restaurant · Fine dining
Awards
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
Open Villa Florentine in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
More hotels in Lyon
- Boscolo Lyon Hotel & Spa — Boscolo · Accessible Luxury
- Hotel Carlton Lyon – MGallery — MGallery · Accessible Luxury
- Hotel Fort St Laurent Lyon — Handwritten Collection · Accessible Luxury
- Mercure Lyon Centre Château Perrache — Mercure · Accessible Luxury
- Sofitel Lyon Bellecour — Sofitel · Accessible Luxury
- Villa Maïa — Independent · Accessible Luxury