On exactly the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri, the 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino welcomed its first guests
Playfully reinterpreted by Milanese interior designer Paola Navone, 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino is designed around the theme of Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’. The journey through the medieval masterpiece begins at reception: should you spend the night in heavenly paradise or in blazing hell? Guests can choose for themselves where they would like to sleep – the hotel rooms are divided into the two styles of Inferno and Paradiso. There is a choice between intense red rooms with velvet curtains and black bed linen, or cloud-white retreats with ethereal blue accents.
A Paola Navone hotel with a unique concept
The eccentric style of the designer and her team runs through all areas of the hotel. In some parts of the hotel, it’s easy to imagine you’re in an amusement park. Guests and visitors won’t come across special effects, monsters or ghosts, however, but rather an original selection of vintage furniture sourced from markets and traditional craft businesses from all over the world. Many of the pieces are reproductions of previous designs from the design studio.
Several design elements, such as the tableware used in the San Paolino restaurant, have been specially designed for 25hours by Navone and her team. What is striking about the interior design of the hotel is the diverse mix of materials; marble and mosaic, terracotta and metal, mirrors and wood or ceramics and glass come together to create a harmonious composition.
Paola Navone draws inspiration for her designs from her many travels, placing great value on the artisanal traditions of the countries she has visited, coupled with modern influences from the fields of photography, theatre, cinema and art. The 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino forms a colourful potpourri of the experiences she has amassed, familiar design classics and new creative ideas.
Τhe 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino occupies a central location in the Santa Maria Novella district at the heart of Florence. This is among the most authentic and lesser-known neighbourhoods in the Italian city and a little off the beaten track. Just a stroll away from the train station, at the back of the Museo del Novecento, the 25hours Hotel San Paolino fills an entire block between the elegant Via de Fossi with its numerous antique shops and the popular Via Palazzuolo, connecting two neighbourhoods that have been largely insular until now. The 25hours Hotel San Paolino is situated in the former premises of Monte de ‘Pegni – the lending company of the Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze – and has its central core of 66 rooms in the original monastery next to the eponymous church of San Paolino. These hallowed halls are now imbued with fresh creative energy thanks to controlled demolitions, new building elements and restored areas.
Photo Credits: Dario Garofalo
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TheHotelTrotter.com is curated by greek journalist and fanatic hotel lover Eleni Stasinopoulou. With the eye of a fashion and lifestyle editor, Eleni hopes to inspire all connoisseurs of traveling, focusing on stylish hotel moments around the globe.
