A NEW RINASCENTE OPENED IN ROME

After 11 years of renovations work, Rinascente inaugurated its new store in the heart of Rome, just a few steps away from the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, in Via del Tritone 61. This is the second Rinascente store in Rome - the other being in Piazza Fiume -, and the eleventh in Italy. The numbers of Rinascente in Via del Tritone (also known as ‘the Tritone’) are certainly impressive: 14,000 square meters; 1852 days of construction site; 4,720,000 kg of steel used; 8 floors; 250 million euros of investments, of which130 for the purchase of the property; 650 employees, for a total of 25,000 hours of training; 116 tills; for more than 800 international brands ready to conquer the hearts and the wallets of the 8 million expected visitors a year. Long renovations were entrusted to great architects and designers who had already redisigned Rinascente stores, resulting in a perfectly-balanced building stitching together the past and the present, ancient and modern. It is the only department store in the world that can boast, within its structure: an archaeological site exposing one of the treasures of Ancient Rome, the Virgin Aqueduct - which was discovered during works on the basement level -, a ‘palace’ built in the 1900s that becomes an integral part of the store (occupied by the Louis Vuitton boutique), a domus of the 4th century, spas, mosaics, terraces on the sixth floor with a view breathtaking of Rome, along with a skylight well designed to allow the light to cross all 8 floors in height, giving the environment a unique touch. The facade – designed, together with the first and second floor, by Vincent Van Duysen - features 96 windows and 7 shop windows framed by dark bronze finishes. The main area of basement level, designed by Claudio Silvestrin and Giuliana Salmaso, is occupied by the Exhibiton Area dedicated to cultural events, but there is also a coffee shop, where you can have a coffee with a view of the aqueduct. Indeed, as Pier Luigi Cocchini, Rinacente CEO, said commenting the new Rinascente: “It is not just a simple department store, but a meeting place, a magnet for the whole city.” All major fashion brands are present in the new Rinascente, including Prada - which has never been present in the historic Milan store -, Christian Louboutin – with its first Italian boutique -, Luis Vuitton – which designed a special edition of its Star Trail Ankle Book especially for the Tritone -, and Valentino - with 4 different corners. However, many are also the casual-wear brands that have a space in the department store. “I do not think that there is another place in Rome with so much choice. After all, if we want eight million visitors a year to enter the Tritone, we need a wide range of offer and prices,” said Vice Chairman of Rinascente Vittorio Radice.