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Condé Nast Traveler
5 days ago
- Business
- Condé Nast Traveler
Pensione America – The Leading Hotels of the World — Hotel Review
Why book? Because as soon as you step foot on the adults-only property, you'll feel your shoulders relax and any stress will melt away. The wealthy Florentines who own villas in Forte dei Marmi have been happy to keep this posh beach town off the tourist radar, but the opening of this new member of the Leading Hotels of the World is primed to put it on the map. Set the scene The streets of Forte—as insiders call it—are a maze of tall box hedges and gates that shelter private villas built for wealthy and aristocratic Italian families. Set on a residential block a five-minute walk from the beach, Pensione America is nearly invisible from the street, but as soon as you step through the gate, a leafy pergola leads to the peachy pink L-shaped hotel with its shaded verandas. In the crook of the L is the pool flanked by cushy green sunbeds and surrounded by a perfectly manicured lawn. Every design detail conveys that this is a place meant for lazy summer days that are the very essence of il dolce far niente: pale terracotta floors, bamboo and wicker furniture (including egg-shaped wicker hanging chairs), huge potted plants (banana plants indoors and kumquat trees outside), cushions printed with images of the area's emblematic umbrella pines, a white baby grand piano and chess set just waiting to be played. It's meant to evoke a sense of villeggiatura, the Italian tradition of decamping to the seaside for the whole summer. The backstory The Maestrelli family, which owns and operates the hotel, has deep roots in Forte dei Marmi, where they've been summering every year for six decades and counting. They already own another boutique hotel in town, which has a loyal clientele, and Pensione America had always fascinated Sara Maestrelli, who played at the adjacent tennis club every summer. It was built 1899 as a private villa for a Roman artist and became a pensione (a humble boarding house) in 1922. When Sara and her aunt Elena purchased it in 2021, it was in desperate need of some TLC. They embarked on an ambitious renovation that took four years, pouring their hearts and souls into the project, which is the fifth hotel in their slowly growing hospitality brand, Collezione Em. Travelers who have stayed at their other hotels, in particular Violino d'Oro in Venice and Villa Roma Imperiale a few blocks away, will sense a through line in the sophisticated design (like all of their hotels and homes, it has interiors by Piera Tempesti Benelli), the emphasis on genuine cuisine, and the warm hospitality conveyed by the mostly female staff. The rooms There are 17 rooms in the main building and a two-bedroom villa overlooking the pool. Like the public spaces, the rooms and suites embody a nostalgic Italian coastal style with a predominantly white color scheme accented by varying shades of greens and blues. The bathrooms feature colorful tiles with geometric patterns by Sicilian ceramicist Nicolo Giuliano and come stocked with full sized bottles of bath products by Florentine brand Santa Maria Novella. Each room is slightly different from the others; some have refurbished antique dressers from the original pensione, while others are adorned with contemporary art. The Apuan Terrace Loft features high ceilings and a large terrace. For more space and privacy, book the two-story, two-bedroom Villetta, which is essentially its own standalone home, albeit without a kitchen. Food and drink Though there's only one restaurant on the property, a snack or a drink is never too far away. The day starts with breakfast served a la carte on the veranda. I loved the croissant filled to order with pastry cream, which I attempted (unsuccessfully, no doubt) to offset with a green detox juice. Lunch is served here too, but during the day most guests prefer to head over to the family's beach club, Bagno Assunta, which serves classic Italian summer fare, like a solid insalata caprese and spaghetti alle arselle (tiny local clams). Complimentary tea and cookies are set out in the restaurant every afternoon from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and aperitivo is served from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. For dinner, expect unfussy cuisine with a few flourishes (the signature seafood-filled ravioli are heart shaped). Upon request, you can opt for half or full board, a nod to the pensione's early days, when guests would have eaten all their meals there. The spa No spa, but a treatment room adjacent to the gym is in the works. Guests can book treatments with trusted local therapists through the concierge. The neighborhood/area Far from the glitzy Amalfi Coast, Tuscany's Versilia coast is a bit of an unsung beach destination in a country known for them. It's all about quiet luxury here: the big outdoor market, which takes place on Wednesdays and Sundays, sells cashmere sweaters and high thread count cotton sheets. Streets in the center of town are paved in marble from the nearby quarries of Carrara. Designers including Giorgio Armani and Prada have set up shop amid the more local boutiques, like La Cestaia, which sells the kind of rattan tableware and baskets that are all over Pensione America, and Giovanni del Forte, an artisan who makes made-to-measure wooden soled sandals. The sandy beach stretches on for miles, much of which is given over to beach clubs. It's very much a summer destination that starts to fill up in June and empties out as soon as school is back in session. Pensione America closes in October and reopens around Easter. The service The service leans toward the more low-key end of the scale, with staff who are friendly and ready to offer suggestions and make reservations. Complimentary bikes—the preferred mode of transportation in Forte—are on hand for guests to use and an electric vehicle (shared with sister property Villa Roma Imperiale) is available to shuttle guests around Forte upon request. For families Though this is an adults-only resort, teens are welcome from the age of 13 and up. The Apuan Terrace Loft can be joined together with the adjacent room and closed off for added privacy, but the best solution for families is the Villetta, which has an exterior staircase as well as an interior one, so teens who sneak off to La Capannina or Twiga can return in the wee hours of the morning without disturbing their parents. Eco effort Solar panels on the roof contribute to the property's energy use and the hotel avoids single use plastic whenever possible, opting for glass straws, for example. Nearly everything in the hotel was crafted by hand locally. Accessibility There are handicap accessible rooms and bathrooms as well as elevators to reach the upper floors. The lobby lounge, restaurant, and pool deck are on the ground floor. Anything left to mention? Guests staying at Pensione America have privileged access to the tents, umbrellas, and sunbeds at Bagno Assunta, where the first rows (those closest to the water) are reserved for them. The Maestrellis have also purchased the adjacent tennis club and are planning to revamp it and incorporate it into the hotel.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Tucci In Italy' On Disney+ And Hulu, Where Stanley Tucci Eats His Way Through Italy Yet Again
Tucci In Italy is more or less a continuation of Stanley Tucci's CNN travel series Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy. He continues to visit different regions of his ancestral home, talking to chefs and other people who contribute to the food culture of a particular region. In the five episodes in this season of the show, Tucci visits Tuscany, Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Abruzzo and Lazio. Opening Shot: A windy mountain range that yields white marble. Stanley Tucci walks on a ridge and quotes Michelangelo: 'I saw the angel in the marble, and I carved until I set it free.' The Gist: In Tuscany, Tucci starts with Florence, the city many think is Italy's food and culture capital. He tries lampredotto, which is essentially beef intestines, which Florentines often eat on a roll for breakfast(!). Then goes to Dalla Lola, a restaurant specializing in peasant recipes that Florence's working class used to make and eat all the time, including a dish called 'fake tripe.' He then travels to Colonnata, known for its impeccable marble, but also one of the best places to get lardo, which is aged pork fatback. He then goes to Maremma, 'the 'Wild West' of 'Italy's Wild West,' visiting with cattle ranchers called Butteri, who manage herds of free-range cattle that produce low-fat, very tender steaks, which Tucci helps the lead buttero grill. Back in Florence, Tucci eats at an Asian-influenced restaurant that adheres to the city's arcane restaurant rules as far as sourcing of ingredients are concerned, but definitely goes a different way than the usual. Then he goes to Siena, where he observes the mass feasts that happen all over the city during the twice-per-year Palio di Siena. What Shows Will It Remind You Of? As we mentioned, Tucci In Italy is pretty much a continuation of the 2021-22 CNN/BBC series Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy. It's very much in the vein of other food-oriented travel shows, like Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown or Taste The Nation With Padma Take: Despite a couple of years' break and a switch of networks, Tucci In Italy doesn't try to give us anything more than the previous show did, which is Stanley Tucci walking through various places in Italy, where his family was from and where he lived for a time when he was a kid. He is his usual wry and erudite self, enjoying all sorts of food, speaking Italian to the people that are featured in a segment, and muses about the marriage of food and culture in his voice overs. What we thought about all this four years ago, when the original show debuted, really hasn't changed: Tucci isn't quite as personable a narrator as Bourdain or Lakshmi is, and he tends to observe rather than connect with the people he talks to. He definitely can lead towards pretentiousness at times. But he also shows so much passion for his family's homeland, and a fascination with each region's food culture, especially restaurants and dishes that go against the norms of what a tourist might eat when he or she goes to Italy on vacation. So, if there are moments where, for instance, he seems a bit detached when the owner of a local marble mine talks to him about the history of mining in his town, we're figuring he's just thinking about the food he's going to be eating later. Sex and Skin: None, except for sexy shots of Shot: An overview of thousands of people sitting at long tables for the communal dinners during the Palio de Star: In a show like this, the director of photography is the sleeper star, because of all the inviting scenery they shoot. In this episode, the DP is Matt Ball. Most Pilot-y Line: Tucci says 'Wow' a lot when he eats something he loves, though at times we wish he said something like, 'Damn, that's good!' or something equally enthusiastic. Our Call: STREAM IT. Stanley Tucci isn't exactly the most relatable or warm presence as a travel host, but he is thorough, and Tucci In Italy is a good continuation of the journey through the country that he started on CNN in 2021. Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn't kid himself: he's a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, Fast Company and elsewhere.
NZ Herald
28-04-2025
- NZ Herald
I've found the best free way to see any city
There are many ways to explore a city on foot. You can do a typical city walk (ideal if you haven't been to a city before or for a long time), or a themed walk centred around food or the supernatural. I vividly remember a food tour of Manhattan where we ate piping hot, artichoke pizza on a freezing winter's day. I also fondly remember doing a 'Harry Potter' walking tour in London, which involved a quiz connecting the sites we saw in the films. A walking tour is a great way to orient yourself, and it usually takes you past the key tourist sites. Think of a hop-on, hop-off bus but with interactive commentary and walking rather than sitting, which is also a great way to shake off jetlag. Better than the orientation, though, are the stories told by the tour guides. Typically lifelong residents of the city and always local, these guides are invariably engaging and passionate about the cities they live in. You learn something about the city's history, something about the culture and something about the way people live in the city. In Florence, my tour guide, Riccardo, told the group about the demise of the city's leather-making industry and the exodus of the young people. Like so many other 'tourist hot spots' in Europe, he explained, Florence is no longer affordable for young people. We walked on with Riccardo and, when we were positioned at the rear of the famous Duomo (Cathedral), he pointed to the street sign – Bischero (pronounced Biskero). Riccardo told us the origin of the name. At the end of the 1200s, before building the Duomo, the government offered the local families money to buy their homes and relocate. All accepted except the Bischeri family, who hoped to increase the offer. Mysteriously, the Bischeri house burnt to the ground and, from that day on, 'Bischero' has been used by Florentines to refer to a stupid person. The story was funny and interesting in itself, but it became hilarious moments later. Riccardo, looking directly at the two sullen teenagers in our group, reminisced about a history lesson when he was a teenager, where the teacher discussed a lot about the Medici family, but also mentioned the Bischero story. At the end of the lesson, the teacher asked Riccardo who the important family in the story was. 'Bischero,' he'd said confidently. 'No,' said the teacher, 'It was the Medicis. You are the Bischero!' A good joke made even more impressive by the fact it was delivered by a Forentine in perfect English. Jack was our guide in Oxford. He introduced himself as a 'Townie' and a 'Gownie'. A 'Townie' means he lives in Oxford. A 'Gownie' means he had studied in Oxford too. Now a self-confessed, struggling writer hoping to have a career as an academic, Jack guides walking tours and infuses his facts with local knowledge. Jack told our group how the town of Oxford came to be, but most interesting was his insight into Oxford as a university town. He told us that 31 of 58 English prime ministers have been educated in Oxford, and explained how every student is assigned to a pastoral hub, being a college. He spoke earnestly about how Oxford University looks to the future and is now leaning away from undergraduate study towards postgraduate studies and to be a world centre for research. Another day, another fascinating walking tour. This time, in the summer in Dubrovnik. The tour guide, Luka, was a Dubrovnik native who had some interesting and concerning thoughts on tourism. Croatia, he told the group, has lost 500,000 residents since 2011. There is now one retiree for every worker. Luka believes tourism has brought Dubrovnik back to life and saved Croatia's economy. On the other hand, Dubrovnik has a population of 42,000 but 45,000 tourist beds! Hardly any locals live in the Old Town any longer - a mere 900 yet there are 2800 tourist beds. Even with a cap of two cruise ships per day during cruising season, there can be 9000 day trippers in Dubrovnik. No wonder the city has crowd control measures such as ropes and direction arrows indicating pedestrian traffic flow. Advertise with NZME. Luka told us one-fifth of the Croatian economy is tourism and that, slowly, all industries other than tourism are shutting down. Even wineries and olive oil production have become tourism businesses. He, himself, admitted that being a tour guide a few hours a day for part of the year is a much easier life than being a farmer. Despite the challenges, Luka regarded his life as prosperous because previous generations lived through occupation and conflict. Without walking tours guided by locals such as Ela, Riccardo, Jack and Luka, I would have wandered around Bologna, Florence, Oxford and Dubrovnik and gazed at the impressive buildings without any idea of the stories behind what I was seeing, nor how the locals live now. I leave every walking tour with an enhanced sense of what the city was and what the city is. I leave with unique, local insights that cost me (next to) nothing. How do I find a walking tour? You can join a free walking tour by visiting the local Tourist Information Office or via a Google search. I like the GuruWalk app as it groups all tours together by city with descriptions of what will be covered, tour duration, languages, times, meeting places, maps and reviews. Are walking tours really free? Some walking tours attract a charge per head, but these are usually themed walks or tours that involve admission fees. If there is no disclosed fee, there is no obligation to pay anything. Bear in mind, though, that this is a job for the guide. The guide is giving up their time and local knowledge, so a tip or donation at the end of the tour is recommended.
CNN
21-03-2025
- Business
- CNN
Angry friars plan to barricade themselves in historic Florence monastery destined for sale to developer
Father Giuseppe Pagano is furious. The 65-year-old Augustinian friar and his three fellow monks, who have dedicated their lives to silent prayer inside Florence's Santo Spirito monastery, are preparing to go into battle over plans to open a luxury retirement home on the site. 'We could no longer remain silent,' Pagano told CNN on Friday, a day after leading a protest at the monastery where Michelangelo once lived—now surrounded by construction equipment. 'We are ready to occupy the grounds.' 'On the day we hear work starting, we are prepared to occupy the place and close the doors,' Pagano said. 'A fine and jail time is a small price to pay to stand our ground.' Founded in 1397 for hermit friars who had dedicated their life to St. Augustine, the monastery has been under the custodial care of the Augustinian order for centuries. Michelangelo lived and studied there, and the current complex, across the Arno river from the historic center of Florence, still houses the wooden crucifix carved by the Renaissance master for its basilica. The complex is partly owned by the Italian defense ministry. In 1866, what was then the Italian state seized the upper rooms, relegating the friars to the lower areas. Now, a soon-to-be-shuttered military barracks on the site seems set to be turned into a luxury retirement home, with balconies overlooking a cloistered courtyard used by the friars. In 2022, the defense ministry put out a tender for renovating its part of the complex. This was won by development firm Fastpol, a specialist in luxury retirement properties and hotels. The ministry announced the tender award but has declined to comment on the current spat with the friars. The friars claim they were largely kept in the dark about the plan. 'We knew for years the army wanted to move out and we asked them to keep us posted, only to find out by chance that the ministry of defense had put (the courtyards) out to tender,' Pagano told people attending Thursday's protest. 'The company that won is talking about a retirement home but we suspect it will be more like a five-star hotel,' Pagano added, referencing the developers' budget and speciality. 'The idea of guests looking out of upstairs windows down into the one courtyard we use seems to be an invasion of privacy.' So Pagano has enlisted the support of 'Salviamo Firenze' or 'Save Florence,' a group set up to protect the city from overtourism, which has vowed to join the monks in protest, with plans to barricade themselves inside the monastery once the work begins. The friars who live on site, along with the affiliated Augustinian Villanova University in Pennsylvania, submitted a request to meet the defense minister at the monastery to present an alternative plan, which would include a community center for Florentines. The request went unanswered, Pagano said in an open letter to the mayor of Florence, published in the Italian press. Lorenzo Calvani, the lawyer for the Augustinians, said they have prepared a legal suit in case the development goes ahead. 'We will not stand by and watch,' he said on Thursday. 'We will leave no stone unturned.' Pagano and his friars have also asked the city of Florence for support, hoping it will get behind the counter-plan, which would include a library, a refectory and a conference room, along with a guesthouse for students. Solidarity with the Santo Spirito friars is growing. Eike Schmidt, the former director of the Uffizi museum in Florence, is helping drum up support. 'It concerns the history and the very identity of Florence, Italy, and our civilization,' he told local Florentine press. 'The original sin dates back to the period of Italian Unification, when the building was split between various administrations. But the scandal is the recent one, when in total silence the assignment to private individuals was started,' Schmidt said. A news conference is planned for Friday evening to raise awareness of the friars' cause. 'Thank God the mobilization has expanded,' Pagano said Thursday. 'The strength comes from a desire that exists to save a place that has made history in Florence since 1250 (when the Augustinian order first established a base in Florence). May it continue without losing its identity.'
CNN
21-03-2025
- Business
- CNN
Angry friars plan to barricade themselves in historic Florence monastery destined for sale to developer
Father Giuseppe Pagano is furious. The 65-year-old Augustinian friar and his three fellow monks, who have dedicated their lives to silent prayer inside Florence's Santo Spirito monastery, are preparing to go into battle over plans to open a luxury retirement home on the site. 'We could no longer remain silent,' Pagano told CNN on Friday, a day after leading a protest at the monastery where Michelangelo once lived—now surrounded by construction equipment. 'We are ready to occupy the grounds.' 'On the day we hear work starting, we are prepared to occupy the place and close the doors,' Pagano said. 'A fine and jail time is a small price to pay to stand our ground.' Founded in 1397 for hermit friars who had dedicated their life to St. Augustine, the monastery has been under the custodial care of the Augustinian order for centuries. Michelangelo lived and studied there, and the current complex, across the Arno river from the historic center of Florence, still houses the wooden crucifix carved by the Renaissance master for its basilica. The complex is partly owned by the Italian defense ministry. In 1866, what was then the Italian state seized the upper rooms, relegating the friars to the lower areas. Now, a soon-to-be-shuttered military barracks on the site seems set to be turned into a luxury retirement home, with balconies overlooking a cloistered courtyard used by the friars. In 2022, the defense ministry put out a tender for renovating its part of the complex. This was won by development firm Fastpol, a specialist in luxury retirement properties and hotels. The ministry announced the tender award but has declined to comment on the current spat with the friars. The friars claim they were largely kept in the dark about the plan. 'We knew for years the army wanted to move out and we asked them to keep us posted, only to find out by chance that the ministry of defense had put (the courtyards) out to tender,' Pagano told people attending Thursday's protest. 'The company that won is talking about a retirement home but we suspect it will be more like a five-star hotel,' Pagano added, referencing the developers' budget and speciality. 'The idea of guests looking out of upstairs windows down into the one courtyard we use seems to be an invasion of privacy.' So Pagano has enlisted the support of 'Salviamo Firenze' or 'Save Florence,' a group set up to protect the city from overtourism, which has vowed to join the monks in protest, with plans to barricade themselves inside the monastery once the work begins. The friars who live on site, along with the affiliated Augustinian Villanova University in Pennsylvania, submitted a request to meet the defense minister at the monastery to present an alternative plan, which would include a community center for Florentines. The request went unanswered, Pagano said in an open letter to the mayor of Florence, published in the Italian press. Lorenzo Calvani, the lawyer for the Augustinians, said they have prepared a legal suit in case the development goes ahead. 'We will not stand by and watch,' he said on Thursday. 'We will leave no stone unturned.' Pagano and his friars have also asked the city of Florence for support, hoping it will get behind the counter-plan, which would include a library, a refectory and a conference room, along with a guesthouse for students. Solidarity with the Santo Spirito friars is growing. Eike Schmidt, the former director of the Uffizi museum in Florence, is helping drum up support. 'It concerns the history and the very identity of Florence, Italy, and our civilization,' he told local Florentine press. 'The original sin dates back to the period of Italian Unification, when the building was split between various administrations. But the scandal is the recent one, when in total silence the assignment to private individuals was started,' Schmidt said. A news conference is planned for Friday evening to raise awareness of the friars' cause. 'Thank God the mobilization has expanded,' Pagano said Thursday. 'The strength comes from a desire that exists to save a place that has made history in Florence since 1250 (when the Augustinian order first established a base in Florence). May it continue without losing its identity.'
