By Paige Gherardi
On July 1st Florence imposed a tassa di soggiorno, or tourist tax, for all non-residents of the city staying in hotels, bed and breakfasts, residences, guest houses, hostels, and campsites. Tourists can expect to pay a maximum of 5 euros per night per person for a maximum of 10 nights depending on the type of accommodation. For hotels the daily tax is determined by the number of stars, meaning a 3-star hotel will have a 3 euro per night fee. The tourist tax for all other types of accommodation are based on a similar system. These taxes are typically an added cost that is paid at the time of check-in, but some establishments are swallowing the tax into their nightly rate. Exceptions to the new tax are children under 10 years old, people who provide assistance to patients in hospitals (limited to 1 person per patient), and people or family who provide assistance to underage patients in hospitals (limited to 2 people per patient). The money collected through the tassa di soggiorno will go toward maintaining works of art and historic buildings, improving public services, and keeping the city clean. One of the first services the tax will support is the free water fountain in Piazza della Signoria allowing people to fill their own bottles whenever they want. A similar tassa di soggiorno has been introduced in Rome and Venice, and it seems that other cities will soon follow.
For those looking to reserve accommodations in Florence in the future, make sure you are aware that these charges differ for each type of stay and that they are rates per person per night. Many travel sites have already included a note that their price does not include the Florence tourist tax, while most hotel websites specify what their tasso di soggiorno is on their homepage or reservations page. The list below has been adapted from the Comune di Firenze website and describes the nightly taxes.
Rates of the Tourist Tax
The tax is determined by the type of accommodations, with a maximum of 5 euro per person per night, for a maximum of 10 consecutive nights, in the following measures:
a) HOTELS
Tax classification (euro) per person, per night
1 star 1,00
2 stars 2,00
3 stars 3,00
4 stars 4,00
5 stars 5,00
b) CAMPING
Tax classification (euro) per person, per night
1,2,3 stars 1,00
4 stars 2,00
c) NON-HOTEL STRUCTURES WITH SIMILAR HOSPITALITY SERVICES
Tax classification (euro) per person, per night
Hostels 1,00
Vacation Homes 1,00
d) NON-HOTEL STRUCTURES WITH CHARACTERISTICS OF CIVIL RESIDENCY
Tax classification (euro) per person, per night
Professional Room Rentals 2,00
Non-professional Room Rentals 1,00
Vacation Homes 1,00
Historic Residences 4,00
e)RESIDENCES
Tax classification (euro) per person, per night
Residence 2 keys 2,00
Residence 3 keys 3,00
Residence 4 keys 4,00
f) AGRITURISMO
Tax classification (euro) per person, per night
1 ear of wheat 1,00
2 ears of wheat 2,00
3 ears of wheat 3,00
