This hotel is a little gem in Pietrasanta, home of a number of renowned artists because of the marble and bronze foundries there. (Botero is here half of the year.) Palazzo Guiscardo has just eight gorgeous accommodations, each named for the unique marble used in the bathroom. This is a true oasis.

An attractive cozy lobby doubles as the breakfast room. The fitness room is small but has good equipment (treadmill, step machine and bike), and there is a massage room for in-hotel massage requests.

Every room has a flat screen television, Hermes amenities in the bathrooms, wonderful wood floors, windows in all but one bathroom, and a changing art exhibition from a local gallery on the walls . . . even a glass elevator! Details are amazing - four types of pillows, two kinds of bathrobes, some walls are stenciled instead of upholstered for those with allergies; seemingly every detail has been carefully thought out. Two rooms have shower only but they are steam/hydromassage showers. Many rooms have a sofa (or ottoman!) bed that opens for children. Insulated glass windows assure quiet rooms. One very nice situation for families is a pair of connecting rooms with a large balcony. The rooms on the top floor under the roof have high ceilings with skylights and each one is beautifully appointed.