A TEA WITH THE QUEEN
CARE FU L ATTENTI ONTOSTYL ED ETA IL SAN D ATMOSPHER ES BYPHOTOGRAPHER VITTORIO S C I OS I A . WI T H H I M, T H E O B J E C T I V E I S F O C U S E D ON ROM E,NAPLES,L ON DON, P RAG UE, MUNICH, ... AN DONTHE ACRO POLIS
«Admiring the remains of Ancient Rome and the Baths of Caracalla from your own terrace is one of the advantages offered by the Pepoli 9 Hotel, a manor house of exceptional elegance, where you are welcomed by the owner, who treats her guests as if they were long-time friends, while in Naples, the Romeo Hotel is a jewel with designer furnishings, enriched by countless modern works of art. On the ground floor it has a sushi bar, and on the rooftop a starred restaurant: its name, “Il Comandante”, recalls shipowner Achille Lauro, founder of the Lauro Fleet, whose historic headquarters was right here. A restaurant that cannot be missed for its amazing view is the one at the Electra Metropolis Hotel (1) in Athens, a privileged 5-star viewpoint on the Parthenon. In Prague, I always go to the Carlo IV Hotel, housed in a former Renaissance-style bank and characterized by an innate aplomb. The swimming pool is special and refined with its majolica, as well as the rooms where you can relax while smoking a cigar, or the suites furnished in an impeccable, sober and elegant style. In the 16th arrondissement, facing the Eiffel Tower, the Square is a boutique hotel with 22 particularly large rooms for the Paris standard, boasting a clean design with no frills, but with fine materials such as rosewood, bronze, leather and Carrara marble. If my destination is London, then The Goring is my place. Built by Otto Goring in 1910, it is the last in a series of grand hotels of the past still in the hands of the original property. The founder saw a great opportunity in this piece of land very close to Buckingham Palace, and so it was. Today it is one of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite places to come for the 5 o’clock tea. Originally conceived by King Ludwig I, the Bayerischer Hof is one of the most legendary hotels in Munich. The rooms boast a variety of different styles and were designed by famous architects. In Art Deco style, The Hotel of South Beach (3) in Miami has recently undergone restoration. It was built by architect L. Murray Dixon, while the interior furnishings are by Todd Oldham and the whole hotel is a masterpiece of vintage. La Mamounia (4) in Marrakech is even more iconic. Opened in the 1920s when Henry Prost, a famous urban planner and architect, created Hivernage as a haven of peace for French diplomats, it has always been famous for its splendid blend of Art Deco and Oriental style».