Or why I adore staying at an iconic hotel!
The Principe di Savoia offers the exact experience of #hotellife that a true hotel lover dreams of. Magnificent, classic, refined, luxurious. The glorious building, the ultra-smartly decorated lobby, the doorman with the typical uniform and the ever-ready to serve concierge team behind a really long reception desk.
I would have the chance to live all these, thanks to the invitation of Acqua di Parma for the launching of the new perfume Chinotto di Liguria that was to be added to its Blu Mediteranneo series. I was more than happy to accept it!
How could I not? An invitation to a hotel like this is something that I always anticipate before the departure and hold in my memory forever after the return. And so it happened. I became a part of its life for 2 days
Staying at Principe di Savoia
With its exceptional standards of hospitality and customer care, Hotel Principe di Savoia, a member of the Dorchester Collection, embodies the true spirit of Milan, where it stands out as a landmark of true luxury.
The emblematic neo-classical building has been the natural home for international travellers and cosmopolitan society since the 1920s. Talking about pure old-world glamour bathed in cutting-edge refinement.
So here I am at the lobby, with Acqua di Parma filling the atmosphere with its divine fragrances and through an Instagram worthy staircase and an impressive crystal chandelier I am ushered to my room, decorated with lavish pieces of 19th-century design, carefully enhanced by very modern touches.
Principe di Savoia stands out for its fin de siècle furnishings, marble bathrooms and hand-painted frescoes. The top-floor Club 10 is one of the city’s best health and fitness centres while the restaurant serves exquisite Italian cuisine in a garden setting.
Overlooking the Piazza della Repubblica, it was revamped in 2009 by lauded architect Thierry Despont. Among its most prominent guests were Queen Elizabeth II, Aristoteles Onassis, Henry Ford, David Rockefeller, Evita Peron and Elizabeth Taylor (while in my previous stay there I was lucky enough to bump into David Beckham!)
It is easy to understand why staying in such a hotel room, even for just a few days, constitutes a rejuvenating escape from one’s everyday routine. Sweet welcome bites; fluffy robes and slippers; chocolates for goodnight; breakfast in bed; hot bath rituals with Acqua di Parma amenities of course; Loved every single second there!
Interview with Laura Burdese, CEO of Acqua di Parma
It was at one of the elegant Principe di Savoia lobbies that I interviewed Laura Burdese, CEO of Acqua di Parma.
It was the second time for me, since I had also met her when she was still the CEO at Calvin Klein Jewelry. Laura is a beautiful and stylish woman that does it all, making the rest of us wonder how she manages to combine family and career in such a successful way. Laura talked to me about her vision in Acqua di Parma as a fragrance house that boasts a heritage of Italian lightness, style and fine craftsmanship and as a frequent traveller, also told me all about her “hotellife”!
“I want our yellow color to become iconic! A symbol of Italian luxury. I am very excited about our new perfume, Chinotto di Liguria! My wedding was in Liguria and I grown up there as well. It is a place like a second home to me, a part of my history, so this fragrance has a special place to my heart – it unlocks a lot of memories to me. Liguria is actually one of the very few places in Italy where you can find Chinotto”.
“I love hotels a lot – I am more about cozy, intimate and warm hotels where I can really feel like home. I hate these new, modern hotels where for example you cannot find the lights switch. My hotel room is super important to me because I work a lot and I always want to experience something different but nice and cozy, I really want to feel pampered. So I could say that to me it is like a familiar experience and that’s why I don’t like those technological, modern places. I think everybody seeks for new experiences when looking for a hotel”.
Chinotto di Liguria by Acqua di Parma
Our talk was definitely the best kickoff for an amazing launch party for the Chinotto di Liguria, that resembled a lot typical traditional Italian feasts and which we really enjoyed.
The fragrances of Blu Mediterraneo collection are my favourite since they draw their inspiration from spirit of the Mediterranean. The Italian Mediterranean offers a treasure trove for the senses: a place where nature expresses itself in tastes and aromas, delivering delicious fruits to be savored. Capturing a single place and a single sublime plant at a time, the collection with the blue art deco bottles of Acqua di Parma reveals a strong Italian temperament.
With its new creation, Acqua di Parma brings Liguria into focus, one of the most beautiful parts of north-eastern Italy, and its bright yellow Chinotto citrus fruit which grows luxuriantly on rocks that tumble steeply down into the sea.
The top notes of the fragrance are like a breeze: a charge of pure energy enhanced by the bittersweet notes of the chinotto fruit and the sparkling crispness of mandarin. At its heart, jasmine and geranium bloom with the dynamic and refreshing notes of cardamom and rosemary. It is rounded off with the peace and tranquillity afforded by the base notes of musk and patchouli.
A fragrance reminiscent of an early morning stroll along the rocky coastlines of western Liguria. The shiny blue glass bottle containing Chinotto di Liguria mirrors the iconic Art Deco lines of the Acqua di Parma Colonia bottles, and calls to mind the shimmering glints of the sea.
Chinotto di Liguria is written on the label with a terracotta tone, the color of the Chinotto fruit after it has been candied, while the signature, handmade hatbox in blue embossed paper is the perfect packaging for this delightful essence of Liguria. This Eau de Toilette is available in three different sizes: 150ml, 75ml and the handy 30ml, perfect for travelling.
CLICK ON THE GALLERY BELOW TO SEE MORE PHOTOS OF MY ACQUA DI PARMA EXPERIENCE AT PRINCIPE DI SAVOIA: