The Grey On narrow Via San Raffaelle, off Piazza del Duomo, and close to the glass-domed Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the 19th-century shopping arcade next to the cathedral.



Clubby, slightly elitist atmosphere (only guests use the facilities) and as design-conscious as you'd expect from a hotel in the Design Hotels consortium. Florentine architect, Guido Ciompi (who has designed retail stores for Armani and Gucci), has given the interiors a distinctive wow factor, with black lacquer, pin-spot lighting and a pink-and-red suspended day-bed in the lobby.

www.hotelthegray.com