A New Renaissance in a City of Masterpieces – Florence

A discerning approach to travel makes sense in Florence, where an abundance of humdrum recommendations can be tricky to sift through. It’s an ethos to which Canadian-born banker Pierre Ferland subscribes. In 2024 he c0-opened This Time Tomorrow, an eight-suite hotel in the residential neighbourhood of Le Cure. “I travel so much for work that when I arrive in a city for a short break I just want to be told what I can’t miss,” he says as he gives Monocle a tour of the rooms, which feature restored frescoes and artworks including a 17th-century tapestry. Before guests arrive, they are encouraged to complete a questionnaire that will help This Time Tomorrow’s affable resident curator, Eric Veroliemeulen, to tailor an itinerary, with restaurant bookings, private winery tours and more. “If a guest is interested in art, I’ll introduce them to a local sculptor or maybe organise a tour of the Uffizi with the head of the art history department at the British Institute of Florence,” says Veroliemeulen. Originally from the Netherlands, he moved to Florence 15 years ago to work in hospitality. “Cutting through the noise – that’s the real meaning of curation,” says Ferland.