Saudi Gazette

Rocco Forte Hotels celebrated the renaissance of Hotel Savoy after a six-month renovation in April. The 125 years old beautifully refurbished Florentine hotel is located in the heart of the city surrounded by magnificent Florentine relics, art museums and historic gems.

By reducing the number from 102 to 80, the rooms have been restructured with more space for comfort and luxury. Director of Design, Olga Polizzi, infused contemporary themes with hints of the Renaissance and interesting collaborations including one with Pucci. Laudomia Pucci, Image Director of the brand, teamed up with Polizzi for a unique collaboration bringing the very essence of Italian design into the hotel. Exclusively designed Il Bronzetto tables, chairs, mirrors and pieces from Chelini Firenze workshop, combined with C&C Milano materials, also give Hotel Savoy the traditional Italian characteristics.

“It is wonderful to see how many craftsmen still work and create their masterpieces in the center of Florence. We commissioned many artisans from the city, a lovely experience which I hope will make the hotel feel truly Florentine,” Polizzi said.

According to sources at Hotel Savoy, Polizzi completed the Hotel Savoy in the spring of 2000, allowing the city to reclaim one of its historic buildings and turning the old hotel into the most elegant ‘five stars’ in Florence. Spaces have been recreated with elegance, supreme comfort with the latest technologies.

Italian and English contemporary artwork is displayed throughout the hotel, as well as antiques, such as the seventeenth century carved wood fronton, originally from the Hambury-Williams private chapel and the pair of mythological wooden statues welcoming guests in the Lobby. Polizzi believes that good design must pay tribute to comfort and functionality, and that the success of a hotel depends on the standard of its service, giving the interior designer an important but not a key role. Rocco Forte also ensures that while you’re in Italy, you must savor the culinary delights of the region. Fulvio Pierangelini, Creative Director of Food for Rocco Forte Hotels is known to transform the culinary experience at Rocco Forte, innovating traditional Italian dishes using the simplest ingredients. Chef Pierangelini became world-renowned for his award-winning seaside restaurant Il Gambero Rosso in San Vincenzo (Livorno), and loved for his ebullient master classes and his edgy, intuitive and trend-setting recipes. He oversees the design of the menus in the restaurants at Hotel Savoy in Florence, Hotel de Russie in Rome, Verdura Resort in Sicily, The Charles Hotel in Munich, Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt, Hotel de Rome in Berlin and Hotel Amigo in Brussels. Dine at Irene, a Florentine bistro by Fulvio Pierangelini that takes you on a journey through flavour and tradition with simple, authentic flavours and light and healthy reinventions of Tuscan classics. The name ‘Irene’ is a tribute to the Italian wife of Charles Forte, mother of Sir Rocco Forte and Olga Polizzi.

This summer, discover Florence through an immersive experience created by Hotel Savoy that include: The Medici Experience and Art Hunt: discover the Uffizi with your children. Take part in a guided itinerary designed to discover the family that invented the Renaissance, Inspired by Medici: Masters of Florence, the television drama series about the "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Medici" Medici dynasty and learn about the fascinating history of the Florentine Family and discover palaces and priceless art collections. Hotel Savoy gives its younger guests the chance to turn their visit to the Uffizi Gallery and its works of art into a fascinating treasure hunt that will arouse artistic curiosity. Get together with your family this summer and explore the birthplace of Italian renaissance and its rich history.

History Of Mercato Vecchio

The Hotel Savoy was built in 1893 on the beautiful Piazza del Mercato Vecchio, today’s Piazza della Repubblica, after the dramatic demolition of a large part of the district, including the Jewish Ghetto. Part of Medieval Florence was razed to the ground and the heart of the city with its shops and commercial activities that flourished in the lanes and surrounding streets was destroyed. Immediately after a monumental Florence was built and, as was said at the time, it was to be more like a Piedmontese than a Florentine city!

Mercato Vecchio (namely The Old Market) was the first and most important square of the city, the Centre of public life, located at the crossroads of the two major streets, Cardo and Decumanus, both coming from the main gate of Florence. Subsequent generations left their testimonials. Elegance, dignity and good taste were the most common architectural features of many buildings; protected by guard towers of different heights creating a fascinating square with the red terracotta roofs.

In the fourteenth century an abattoir called the ‘Beccheria’, where animals were slaughtered and the meat sold to the public, was built. Around ‘Beccheria’ sale counters for food products sprung up giving rise to a picturesque scene, but unfortunately this led the aristocratic families to leave their elegant Palaces. Their homes were sold and the whole area degraded. The fate of the Old Market did not improve even after the construction in 1568 of the ‘Loggia del Pesce’, built by Giorgio Vasari. Indeed, with the creation of the ‘ghetto’ the situation became even worst. At the end of the 19th century, Florence became the Capital of Italy, and the Old Market, by then dirty and gone to ruin, was demolished. The new Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, today Piazza della Repubblica, immediately became the fashionable and middle-class city centre.

Website: "http://www.roccofortehotels.com/" www.roccofortehotels.com