In the heart of Florence, a young but already iconic boutique hotel celebrates an extraordinary milestone.
Just two years after opening, La Gemma Firenze continues its rise in the Italian hospitality scene. After coming second in the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards 2025 in the Florentine hotel category, it has received an even more significant recognition: the first Michelin star awarded to LUCA’s by Paulo Airaudo, the hotel’s gourmet restaurant.
This achievement confirms not only the chef’s talent, but also the entire vision of the Cecchi family, who transformed a historic building just a stone’s throw from Ponte Vecchio into a contemporary and refined destination, a luxury establishment designed by sisters Elena and Giulia Sella of the Milanese studio DesignByGemini, who interpreted the nuances of the city with a refined palette, from green to powder pink, evoking the facade of the Duomo.
This achievement not only confirms the talent of the chef, but also the vision of the Cecchi family, who have transformed a historic building just a stone’s throw from Ponte Vecchio into a contemporary and refined destination.
Excellence recognized by travelers
For readers of Condé Nast Traveller, La Gemma Firenze is not simply a hotel, but a place where luxury and intimacy meet, combining design, personalized hospitality, and a strong connection to the city. A model of hospitality that reflects the Cecchi family’s mantra: “Inspired by family, driven by love.”
With this new achievement, La Gemma Firenze confirms its position among the best hotels in Italy and the world, reinforcing Florence’s role as the capital of the art of living and traveling.
The interview: cuisine according to Paulo Airaudo
To understand what lies behind this success, we asked chef Paulo Airaudo to tell us about his vision, his roots, and the identity of LUCA’s.
How would you describe your cuisine?
“My cuisine is a fusion of my Italian roots with a strong influence from Japanese cuisine. I draw a lot of inspiration from its techniques and ingredients, trying to create dishes that combine well-defined products, techniques, and flavors. The goal is to offer something unique, but always balanced between tradition and modernity.”
What are your main inspirations?
“My inspirations come from my memories, important moments in my life, and travels that have allowed me to discover new cultures. I also find a lot of inspiration in markets and seasonality, which allows me to work with ingredients at their peak quality. The seasons always bring new ideas to my cuisine.”
What inspires the concept of LUCA’s?
“LUCA’s aims to offer traditional cuisine, but with a modern twist, in an environment that reflects the unique style of Florence. I like to think that the restaurant connects with what makes this city special: art, luxury, and good taste.”
What do you bring from your world and what has Florence given you?
“From my world, I bring a passion for detail, a commitment to excellence, and my curiosity to innovate. On the other hand, LUCA’s and Florence have given me a platform to explore and express my cuisine in ways I never imagined. The cultural and gastronomic richness of this city is a constant source of inspiration.”
A dish that represents LUCA’s?
“Every dish tells a story, but one of the most representative is the potato and taleggio cheese button, vin jaune sauce, and Sanremo purple shrimp. For me, it’s a statement of intent: to pay homage to my Italian roots with a contemporary vision that can connect with those who taste it.”
Where a star is born: the identity of LUCA’s
The Michelin star is the result of a cuisine that combines technical rigor, aesthetic sensitivity, and an almost emotional relationship with the raw ingredients. Airaudo brings an international vision to Florence, matured between Latin America, Asia, and Europe, reinterpreting it in an Italian key.
The result is a dining experience that surprises, excites, and dialogues with the city: from the selection of ingredients to the presentation, everything reflects Florence in its cultured, elegant, and deeply contemporary essence.
La Gemma Firenze: a haven of style and warmth
Located in the historic Palazzo Paoletti, the boutique hotel offers 23 rooms and 16 suites designed by the Milanese studio DesignByGemini. The interiors reflect the city’s color palette—powder pink, sage, deep green—evoking the facade of the Duomo and the harmony of Renaissance palaces.
Completing the experience are:
- the intimate and scenic Allure underground spa;
- the signature cuisine of LUCA’s, now a Michelin star;
- discreet, elegant, authentic hospitality, faithful to the Cecchi family’s mantra:“Inspired by family, driven by love.”
A vision that looks to the future
La Gemma Firenze is just the first piece of a larger project: La Gemma Collection, which will bring the Cecchi family to six Italian cities with a series of boutique hotels inspired by family values, creativity, and modernity.
“This star,” says Laura Stopani, General Manager, “is recognition of our team’s work and the long-term vision we are building. It encourages us to look to the future with even more enthusiasm, starting with the next opening in Milan in 2026.”
With a Michelin star, international recognition, and a philosophy that combines family, art, and gastronomic research, La Gemma Firenze stands out as one of the brightest stars in Italian hospitality.
A place that embodies the new luxury: intimate, cultured, deeply human. And now also starred.
