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Palermo Grande: A stunning hotel restoration has unveiled the hidden gem of Sicily

A house by the sea in Sicily: it is a desire for real estate of the past. For thousands of years, they came to conquer along the Mare Nostrum (Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans) and conquered themselves, creating colonies and erecting temples along its entire coast. In the following centuries, great artists and tourists fell as hard as they could for the clean bay and cove of Sicily and its unique history, dominating the dominance in a magnificent cultural collage. But no one lived like the Sicilian coast: witness the capital Palermo – its suburbs have now grown somewhat, but in the eighteenth century. In the twentieth century the tyranny of citrus trees and spectacular aristocratic estates descended towards Tyrrhenia. the villas still fascinate the landscape.

A century later the Florio family acquired the mobile – the owners of shipping concerns, fishing and packaging factories (we owe canned tuna to their entrepreneurial vision) and the marsala wine producers who probably know their name. house on a promontory north of the port of Palermo, in the shadow of Monte Pellegrino. Ignatius Florio Sr. baptized him with the name Villa Florio, thus helping to strengthen the good social faith of the family; a few decades later his son, Ignatius Jr., decided to take advantage of his potential as a destination. In 1899, he hired the aristocratic wife Franca – a beauty and decoration company whom Kaiser Wilhelm II called the “Italian Star” – to hire the famous Palermo architect Filippo Ernesto Basile to expand the villa into a luxury full-service hotel.

Over the next two decades Grand Hotel Villa Igiea (Baptized after Florioi’s daughter) made history. Palermo was created to be a place; Get to know the people of Florio. Thought of as a formidable addiction to famous friends, the hotel was immediately the most famous of the international monarchy, industry, and people. Nicholas II of Russia, Edward VII and George Va of Great Britain, Chulalongkorn of Siam and the Duke of Orleans were his first patrons. First Baron Rothschild and John Pierpont Morgan were raised on their sailboats. Some visited the Cathedral of Montreal or the Palazzo dei Normanni, with 900-year-old mosaics; some made it to the nearby Bagni della Regina cave to swim and export in privacy. Most were content to enjoy the hotel premises, which was one of the epicenters of European society.

1950s fresco at the bar of the Sicilian artist Eugenio Morici © Lea Anouchinsky

The exterior of Villa Igea

The exterior of Villa Igea © Lea Anouchinsky

Luck turned, just like themselves. Villa Igiea came out of Florios’ hands before World War II; At the end of the twentieth century, the decline was slow. The grandeur of the stage and Basil’s building never diminished, as his caches seemed firmly tied to the past. And it is probably fair to say that the city, which was at the same time in its decline, has not been a more or less magnificent hotel ever since.

Enter Rocco Forte, president of the hospitality group of the same name, whose properties are the most elegant in Europe. Forte and his sister, vice president and design director Olga Polizzi, Overlooking Villa Igiea a decade ago in Verdura, after the opening of a resort on the south-west coast of Sicily. It had tremendous potential, but there were no complications. Overcoming barriers to access and renovation (the entire hotel is fairly listed), there was the problem of Palermo’s desirability: there are those who adore your writer among themselves, who strongly adore the city and its dirty circuit. the edges shine, its nuances in Buenos Aires and Marrakech between baroque foam and Norman austerity. But many Britons fail completely; They make Taormina, or every year the more elegant Val di Noto, under Syracuse. Did Palermo never stop loving Villa Igiea? Was the born Villa Igie loved again?

Baroque ceiling of the church of Santa Caterina in Palermo
Baroque ceiling of the Church of Santa Caterina in Palermo © Lea Anouchinsky

1912 A postcard of Villa Igia

A postcard of the Villa Igia of 1912 © Archivio GBB / Alamy Stock Photo

Among the guests during the Belle Epoque Belle Ipoque were Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, who were seen here (front row, second left and third left) in 1907

Among the guests during the Belle Epoque Belle Ipoque were Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, who were seen here (front row, second left and third left) in 1907

A few years and 30 million euros later, Forte is on the verge of getting his answer. The hotel will reopen this month after a state-of-the-art renovation run by Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen co-owners / founders Nicholas Haslam in London with Polizzi. The famous red façade; castles; a pill-shaped pool, flanked by its ancient “ruin” (Florio stupidity) temple; a garden planted with palms, hibiscus, and cacti: all have been vigilant and pruned but to a large extent remain intact.

The rigorous conservation efforts within it go hand in hand with creative reinvention. “Basil is almost unknown in England,” says Polizi. “His love for the Middle Ages and Freedom [Italian art nouveau]“The two styles are evident throughout Villa Igiea.” It is a curious combination, but it is highly prized in Palermo. ”The double-height Sala Basile, with frescoes by Ettore de Maria Bergler and a huge light in the middle of a flowered glass, is by the architect. we had to slowly restore it, “says Polizik. When I reached the end of this work, graduates of the local Belle Arti academy, dressed in tattooed and clothed clothes, were placed on the stairs, thoroughly washing the last parts of the spectacular scenes: maid workers in white and gold translucent dresses ; fields of irises and rough poppies; silver feathers and numerous white-tailed feathers.

There’s a large walnut-wood staircase, decorated with its interconnected railings B and E (Basil was known for his smart hidden signatures), and, wonderfully, Polizzi notes, there are several pieces of furniture designed by the architect for the hotel. restored and lived. The original concierge benches, wooden monoliths with a very large air of Budapest, were removed, cleaned and reinstalled. (Budapest is also very big: huge round room keys – no cards, no digital fobs; the real keys – behind them are hanging in tidy cabinets).

Villa Igiea bar

Villa Igiea tavern © Lea Anouchinsky

Detail of the mural in Basile Sala

Detail of the basilica mural © Lea Anouchinsky

The renovation, which lasted two years – one of which was when the pandemic closed – was disappointing (“It must have been the most wonderful work, in the beautiful Palermo, but sometimes it was a bit of a nightmare,” admits Polizzi). All of the final details had to be approved by the local culture oversight ministry – occasionally via Zoom. “Color schemes, too,” says Vergeylen, adding that the process is easier “based on murals in the Basil Room, so no one could say they weren’t legitimate.”

The entire floors of the rooms were dismantled and rebuilt, reducing the number from 120 to 100. The old bathrooms were sometimes small; interconnecting suites were not the correct configuration they have today. “We had to completely rethink the designs for the modern comfort factor,” Vergeylen told me. “But it has to be taken into account when people who know Villa Igiea return,” and says there is a small army like people who are very attached to the hotel, “the answer we want is not ‘Oh, it’s very different’; ‘Oh, you’ve revived it.’

“The way to do that was to think of residence as a private residence,” Moschino adds. “After all, it was Villa Florio before the hotel. We have kept small libraries and living rooms ”- this could be combined in larger spaces (and spaces that generate better income). “Buildings have characters, they evolve; I don’t think that’s a far cry. “

Botanical Garden of Palermo
Palermo Botanical Garden © Lea Anouchinsky

Gala in the 1910s in the villa - Franca Florio is among the guests

Gala in the 1910s in the villa – Franca Florio is among the guests

Villa's madness

Villa’s madness

That said, Vergeylen warns that Forte reminded the design team that “Villa Igiea” still has the words “Grand Hotel” ahead of it. Take out the beach or remote temporary design schemes, then. “The goal was the perfect atmosphere for a great weekend in a big house,” says Vergeylen. Even the smallest rooms (about 35 square meters, which are not small) have high ceilings, upholstered beds and walls in blue, gold and sage or wallpaper in Design Lab Weather in San Patrignano, recently SanPa: The Sins of the Savior, a rehabilitation community made famous by the Netflix documentary series. (Chronicle of its controversial creator, the series does not delve into the bizarre artisan workshops that flourished here after his death in 1995 – including Renzo Mongiardino, who provided him with numerous archival designs, some of which have been expanded at the Moschino and Vergeylen hotels).

Each of the last majolica tiles in the unrecovered premises is personalized The weather Scianna Ceramiche, East of Palermo, the oldest artisanal producer in Bagheria. “You wouldn’t think of working with this material from Mexico or Japan for work like this,” says Vergeylen. “He wanted sustainability in the clearest sense of the word – to help the local business and get to know the artisans you work with.”

Beauty salon, restored to the glory of the Belle Epoque

Beauty salon, restored glory of the Belle Epoque © Lea Anouchinsky

One of the suites at Villa Igiea

One of the suites at Villa Igiea © Lea Anouchinsky

Being a Rocco Forte hotel, well-being should always be emphasized; Fort’s daughter Irene, who sits on the Global Wellness Summit committee (and directs all hotel wellness programs), weighed in at the spa and fitness rooms that occupy the long building at the bottom of the garden – light wood, cheerful green tiles and floor-to-ceiling windows. light. The skin care line, formulated with products grown in Verdura three years ago and created around the island (hibiscus, apricot and pistachio oil, orange blossom) is already in place.

Today is the smooth stage of opening the hotel; design details are getting stuck, menus are being decorated and adapted. When the hotel is fully booked, you can be sure that there will be nothing wonderful in the Sicilian capital. As for Palermo itself: success Manifesto, A nomadic biennial of contemporary art organized in 2018, along with the inauguration Butera Palace, Massimo and Francesca Valsecchi’s private museum in the Kalsa district seems to have begun a small renaissance. The number of wine, cocktail bars and young chefs is growing. That’s where it’s so worth it Gallery of Modern Art, In the ensemble of the convent of Sant’Anna, and lively concerts and exhibitions in the almost absurdly beautiful Santa Maria dello Spasimo, the roofless 16th century Kalsa. century church unfinished.

And, predictably, competition is on the horizon, including the renewal of another ambitious historic landmark in the city Grand Hotel and Des Palmes, Opened with a restaurant and rooftop bar run by Italian (and originally Sicilian) star chef Filippo La Mantia. Palermo could end up very well; there is an attractive new house next to the sea waiting for those who want to know to find out for themselves.

roccofortehotels.com; From € 420


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