What can be better than Italian food? Taking Italian cuisine and adding it to one of the most lavish settings in the world is a nirvana for a gastronomic explorer. In this ambiance, one could envision themselves dining as if they were guests of the Medici family 500 years ago. A medieval sala is bathed in candlelight, the tables are artfully set, and a flutist serenades the room. This secret Renaissance palazzo, owned by one of Florence’s most influential families, opens its doors to outsiders only on rare occasions. When it happens, the gourmet experience there becomes nothing short of magic as guests dine at the Ferragamo family’s secluded estate.

The 15th-century Palazzo Capponi stands in the heart of Florence, between Via Maggio and the bridge of Santa Trinita, just minutes from the banks of the Arno River and the iconic Ponte Vecchio. The direct descendants of one of the most significant Italian designers of the last century, Salvatore Ferragamo, own this palazzo. In addition to the fashion brand, the Ferragamo family also owns four luxury hotels in Florence, one in Rome, and a newly opened property in Milan. All these are part of the Lungarno Collection, and every guest staying there is treated as the Ferragamo family’s special guest. Visitors receive impeccable personalised service and get access to some exclusive experiences, including the gourmet ones. Perhaps the most extraordinary one is having a dinner in the Renaissance-era Palazzo Capponi, otherwise closed to the public.

The massive iron gate protects the palazzo from curious onlookers. Inside, a magnificent marble staircase leads to an enfilade of elaborately frescoed rooms. Overlooking the Arno river and the wonderfully preserved medieval palaces along its banks, an evening passed in one of the palazzo’s ancient salas is as tantalising a prospect as the menu signed by the Michelin-starred chef Claudio Mangoni who oversees the catering for these unforgettable dinners.

The chronicles say that in the late 16th century, a Florentine nobleman Lodovico Capponi purchased this solemn-looking edifice. He assigned one of the Renaissance masters, Bernardino Pocetti, to paint the walls and the ceilings there. The aim was to capture a few vivid episodes from the Florence Republic’s turbulent medieval history and the noble Capponi family’s exploits. The frescoes in Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio celebrating the glories of the Medici, Florence’s longtime rulers, became the artist’s inspiration. Hence there are a lot of allegories, trophies, animal and plant elements, full of colour and intricate spiraling forms.

The XXI-century guests get to dine like the nobility in Palazzo Capponi. Claudio Mengoni, the executive chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Borgo San Jacopo from the Ferragamo-owned Hotel Lungarno, offers a sumptuous menu with his inventive interpretation of traditional Italian cuisine. This is a haute cuisine experience marked by a non-fussy elegance, with rigorous attention to the ingredients’ quality and with respect for their seasonality. Fassona tartare with black truffle, suckling pig in porchetta with charred leek and apricot, tagliatelle with sea urchins and tuna bottarga, and for dessert, an orange-soaked babà with mascarpone and lavender cream are among the chef’s signature dishes. Each plate is paired with the best of the wines hand-picked by the “vinnaio,” the head sommelier Salvatore Biscotti from more than 900 labels in the Lungarno Hotels’ storage from timeless classics like Brunello di Montalcino to niche greats.

The most spectacular room in the palazzo is the vaulted Sala Pocetti. This enormous sala with a huge fireplace can fit up to 70 people. It is a magical location for a candlelight dinner, an intimate wedding, an ornate Christmas party, a gala evening, or another kind of celebration. The frescoes cover every part of the room, including the skirting, window, and door embrasures. The artist painted them from floor to ceiling with such a wealth of imaginative liveliness that it dumbfounds anyone entering here for the first time. A look up at the ceilings provides an especially dizzying effect. The scenes are set in an architectural framework holding three triads of famous men. Those are portrayed in octagons or medallions and surrounded by cherubs, garlands of fruits and flowers, and pairs of young nudes seated on either side of ovals with the Capponi family’s gonfaloniers of justice.

In the dimmed candlelight, the сherubs on the lavishly frescoed ceilings seem to come alive. The Ferragamo Hotels’ guest-relations team aims to fulfill every wish and whim to make dining in Palazzo Capponi a truly unforgettable experience. They can organise a private concert with a mini-orchestra, including medieval-style flute or harp tunes, a DJ accompaniment, or even magicians’ and acrobatic shows similar to the ones held at the medieval castles’ feasts centuries ago. Many times a few prominent opera singers have dressed up as waiters to surprise the guests in the middle of their meal with an impromptu aria from Traviata or the Barber of Seville. A wine-tasting paired with a selection of Tuscan cold cuts and local cheeses, bread, organic olive oil, and honey is an optional alternative to a formal dinner in the Sala Pocetti. Castiglion del Bosco wine estate, one of Tuscany’s main historical producers of Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino, is among the partners for these events at the Palazzo.

 Dining in this antique estate is not the only memorable experience the Lungarno Collection guests can try. The others include complimentary entrance to the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum and shopping privileges in the brand’s signature store in the heart of Florence. The museum is located in Palazzo Spini Feroni, which Ferragamo bought in the 1930s, just around the corner from Palazzo Capponi. Often referred to as a “shoemaker for the stars,” Ferragamo designed footwear for powerful and famous women from Eva Peron and Greta Garbo to Marylin Monroe and Anna Magnani. Salvatore Ferragamo’s most remarkable creations, like a raffia sandal with a carved cork heel crafted for the Hollywood actress Loretta Young in the late 1930s, are on display there. Adventurous visitors may also enjoy private electric Vespa tours of Florence and its surroundings or a photo workshop on foot. The latter is about discovering and capturing the city with a vintage Leica camera in the company of an internationally renowned photographer as an instructor and a guide.

Florence is one of those enchanting cities where one could return throughout the entire life and still make discoveries. Having a candlelight dinner in the refined ambiance of Palazzo Capponi, a rare relic of the Renaissance in the heart of the city, is truly a one-of-a-kind luxury experience. It’s a time machine to another era and a chance to experience Florence on a more intimate level.