Garibaldi Blu Hotel Florence is a modern hotel with a sense of humor. The lobby has beautiful vaulted ceilings with stone columns and a skylight, but the most dramatic element by far are the towering sculptures of palm trees made from industrial metal. Round mirrors and exposed ductwork add shine, while velvet furnishings soften the effect. The front desk is tucked into a small room with black-lacquered cabinets and a frilly glass chandelier. Perhaps the most startling of all these decorations is the life-sized statues of comic book superheroes that line a hallway. (Spiderman can be found crouching appropriately on a ledge under the wooden ceiling beams.) Breakfast is served in a modern dining room with checkered floors and gray banquettes. Additional bistro tables are lined up in a hallway with huge windows offering views of the courtyard. 

Garibaldi Blu Hotel is located in front of the Santa Maria Novella Church, the first great basilica in Florence. It’s in a lively pedestrian piazza usually full of tourists. The Firenze Maria Novella Station is a seven-minute walk, and most of the city’s main attractions are within a 10-minute walk including the Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, and the San Lorenzo Market. The airport can be reached in under 20 minutes by car. 

Guest rooms cast a serene mood, with low lighting, dark parquet floors and deep-blue, gray, or rose walls. Floral curtains and graffiti-style artwork add some patterns to the space, but the most striking rooms have original 19th century frescoed ceilings and walls. Modern furnishings include small desks and leather headboards, while funky cubby nightstands give a little mid-century feel. All rooms have wall-mounted flat-screen TVs, electric kettles, and minibars. Bathrooms are stylishly decked out in black-and-white pebbled tiles. Some bathrooms have stand-up showers while others have shower/tub combos, and all are equipped with hairdryers and slippers. Some rooms offer views of the Santa Maria Novella Church. Wi-Fi is free throughout. 

Garibaldi Blu Hotel serves a breakfast buffet with pastries, yogurt, cereals, cold cuts, and cheeses, but no hot items, in a lovely breakfast room with a jaunty checkerboard floor and oversized tufted banquettes. The hotel also has a spacious, stylish lobby with seating areas and a small bar where guests can order a cocktail or a cappuccino. Meeting rooms with modern decor are available for private events. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.