Page 13 - Dream of Italy - October / November 2021

Design Meets Divine at New Florence Hotel

lorence’s Santa Maria Novella neighborhood is no can pick up a glass of regional red, nodding to a lost form
F stranger to shake-ups. The neighborhood’s newest of local commerce.
talking point is the 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino, 25hours isn’t the first hospitality complex in Florence
wedged between the elegant boutiques of Via de’ Fossi and to encourage connections between guests and the general
the melting-pot mood of Via Palazzuolo. public, but it’s uniquely set up to succeed in the mission.
The design-heavy hotel opened in mid-September There’s no awkward navigation needed to reach the dining
2021 and spans a whole block, spread across what was areas and social hubs; none of that “am I allowed in here?”
formerly the Monte de’ Pegni, a historic loan company. discomfort so common to high-end hotels. Instead, the
Sixty-six of its 171 rooms are concentrated in the Alimentari opens directly onto the main piazza and is
ex-convent of the Baroque church of San Paolino, a active from 7:30 a.m. until after dinnertime, all but guar-
once-forgotten gem now primed for more foot traffic. anteeing a mix of residents, curious tourists and guests on
WIKICOMMONS / MATTHIAS SÜSSEN “Hell” rooms are a draw, it’s the spaces for locals and coming collaborations with city-wide events like the
the go.
While the Divine Comedy-themed “Heaven” and
The snug Companion Bar has already hinted at forth-
guests to commingle that set 25hours apart in Florence’s
annual Florence Cocktail Week. And finally, through the
hospitality scene. Courtyard restaurant San Paolino is
steered by chef Nicola Schioppo, who was plucked from an
Via Palazzuolo entrance, the San Paolino restaurant is
Oltrarno osteria; bakery-bar Alimentari lines its shelves
with local goodies from local bakery S.forno; and the center stage. Beyond its blend of Tuscan classics and more
modern dishes, the restaurant’s greenhouse-like aesthetic,
swanky Companion Bar puts Negroni, Florence’s native pietra serena arches and indoor-piazza appeal are sure to
cocktail, on its due pedestal. Milan-based designer Paola attract walk-ins. O CT /NO V 2021
Navone’s new-school, color-saturated interiors pair natu- Piazza di San Paolino, 1, Florence; 39-055-2966911;
rally with only-in-Florence flourishes—like the main www.25hours-hotels.com Rates start at 177€, including
Drea m of Ita ly
building’s 14th-century “wine window,” where passersby breakfast. —Mary Gray

13

PHOTOS BY DARIO GAROFOLO