With properties in Paris, Cologne, Zurich, Berlin, Vienna and beyond (as well as involvement with Mallorca’s excellent Bikini Island & Mountain Hotel), 25hours is a smart, culturally resonant hotel brand known for its irreverent yet functional aesthetics and provocative urban locations. They have also just opened their first lodgings in Italy, the 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino occupying a central location in Florence‘s Santa Maria Novella district.
Situated behind the Museo del Novecento, the hotel fills an entire block between Via de Fossi, with its numerous antique shops and the popular Via Palazzuolo, and connects two ‘more authentic’ but ‘lesser known’ neighbourhoods in a city renowned for its Renaissance art and architecture.
Designed by Milan-based designer Paola Navone and her team, and inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, 171-room Hotel Piazza San Paolino manages to be heavenly relaxing, whilst hellishly amusing; Paola creating a space where scenes from Hell and Paradise are playfully interspersed, offering an illuminating tour through Dante’s world of virtues and vices.
Once home to ‘Monte de Pegni’, the building is made up of an original monastery, which houses the core of 66 rooms, and a new annexe boasting another 104 guest rooms with balconies, as well as the Casetta del Giardino, a small apartment with a private garden and pool. Combining restored historical elements with a new creative energy, Hotel Piazza San Paolino is a modern, cosmopolitan affair that respects the rich history of the city.
San Paolino, the hotel’s restaurant serves Italian cuisine that celebrates the best of Tuscany and its surrounding regions, dishes best enjoyed under the large glass dome in the centre of the historic palace. Alternatively, in warmer months, the inner courtyard is the perfect spot to fill up al fresco, before enjoying a tipple or two at Companion Bar, which is both quintessentially Italian and strikingly international and serves bitter-sweet classics from aperitivo to late at night.
An inspired burst of contemporary creativity in a city with culture at its core, the 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino is another fine effort from the Hamburg-based wunderkinds.
25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino Florence Photography, Dario Garofalo.
