Italy's wonderful one-star hotels

Hotel Maria Luisa de' Medici, Florence - [CLOSED] This one-star hotel located in the precise geographic center of of Florence has dim halls crowded with genuine baroque art—a marble child in a chair, a chipped sculpture from the della Robbia studio, tattered oil paintings by Van Dyck and Sustermans—and cavernous rooms stuffed with a mix of antiques and 1950s designer furnishings... » more

939 Hotel, Rome - The 939 (formerly the Hotel Marcus) is handily one of Rome's best upper-end budget hotels—a smartly updated pensione in an 18th-century palazzo with high ceilings and the odd marble fireplace (in larger, slightly pricier rooms) to give it character. It's that perfect inexpensive hotel that focuses on the important things... » more » book

Hotel Pensione Al Guerrato, Venice - Rarely will you find such an excellent marriage of price, atmosphere, and genuine warmth at any Venice hotel. Roberto Zammattio is constantly expanding and upgrading his 20-room pensione in a 13th-century palazzo near the Rialto Bridge. "One thing I will never change," declares Roberto. "Is our one-star status. I prefer to take in a few Euro less, but still give a bit more to guests; that way everyone is happy."... » more » book

Hotel Villa Eva, Capri - Villa Eva is quite possibly the best one-star hotel in all of Italy. This house buried in lush gardens halfway along the country road from Anacapri to the Blue Grotto isn't just Eva Balestrieri's hotel. It's her childhood home. Eva was born in room no. 5, with its huge terrace, cupola ceiling, and wall covered in framed watercolors and chalk drawings. The artwork—not to mention the furniture—throughout the property was created by her husband, Vincenzo Parlato, who has also spent decades transforming the grounds into a carefully tended jungle of exotic plants... » more » book

Hotel Galleria, Venice - The Hotel Galleria has one huge plus going for it: You can fling open your window and look right out onto the Grand Canal and still pay only around $200 for the privilege. (I know: seems like a lot—but not in Venice—and in winter that price for a Grand Canal view can be as low as €70, or $91). That's what you get—along with antique Venetian styling and breakfast served in your room—at Luciano Benedetti and Stefano Franceschini's 19th-century palazzo at the foot of the Accademia bridge, across a square from the Galleria Accademia... » more » book

Hotel Ai Do Mori, Venice - Want to stay half a block off Piazza San Marco, perhaps even with a close-up view of the domes of St. Mark's? What's more, want to do it for under $150? The beamed-ceiling rooms tend to be a bit cramped at Antonella's little gem of a hotel, but top floor room that get the killer peek at San Marco's cupolas and the Torre dell'Orologio, whose two bronze moors ring the bells every hour... » more