Italy news

noa* reimagines alpine wellness retreat to merge seamlessly with mountain landscape
by Megan Whitby | 05 Aug 2020
A South Tyrolean wellness resort in Saltaus, Italy, has received a new two-floor wellness centre designed to provide a sanctuary of wellbeing that integrates smoothly into the natural landscape. Apfelhotel Torgglerhof hotel’s new 570sq m facility has been created to complement the resort’s existing spa with its apple-shaped bio-sauna – inspired by the local apple orchards. Architecture and interior design firm Network of Architecture (noa*) led the overhaul, with construction

Six Senses unveils plans for rural Italian escape at historic castle estate
by Megan Whitby | 29 Jul 2020
Six Senses has announced plans to open a new Italian resort at a historic castle estate nestled into the Umbrian countryside, in Perugia, scheduled to open in 2023. Architecture firm Woods Bagot is behind the masterplan, while interiors are being planned by Tokyo-based Design Studio SPIN. The redevelopment is being driven by VIY Management (VIYM), a London-based investment firm focused on luxury hospitality and mixed-use real estate projects, and Alessio

Descending “theatre machine” transforms clothes store into mixology bar
by Stu Robarts | 10 Mar 2020
Visual Display have created a clothing store in Milan, Italy, that transforms into a bar at night with a lighting feature that descends from the ceiling to become a display case and counter. The space, which opened in January, is described as a "concept store with a fluid and unexpected identity" that combines a mixology bar, café and a clothing store. During the day, the store sells men's and women's

Asaggio create wellness refuge at former Dolemites sanatorium
by Jane Kitchen | 05 Feb 2020
Armin Sader, of hotel architecture firm Asaggio, is reimagining a historic hotel in the mountains of South Tyrol, Italy, with an emphasis on its solitary location in nature and a focus on wellness. The building in which Forestis is situated is located in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Dolomites and was conceived by its original owners to be a sanatorium for lung disease sufferers prior to the First World War, making

Legoland Water Park to open at Italy's Gardaland resort
by Lauren Heath-Jones | 27 Jan 2020
Europe's first Legoland Water Park – and the first to open in a non-Legoland destination – will open at the Gardaland resort close to Lake Garda, Italy, on 28 May. The park, which was announced last year, will cover 15,000sq m (160,000sq ft) and will be constructed, in part, from millions of Lego bricks. Aimed at families with children, it will be home to several different themed lands, as well

Alberto Apostoli is creating a spa inspired by icebergs and the Northern Lights
by Jane Kitchen | 28 Nov 2019
Alberto Apostoli is designing a new four-level spa for the Formentin Hotel that is inspired by the Aurora Borealis and the icebergs of the Northern seas. A historic thermal hotel built in 1911, the Formentin Hotel is located in the centre of Abano Terme, an ancient thermal area located between Verona and Venice. The 840sq m (9,042sq ft) spa will include a swimming pool on the ground floor, a thermal

Stefano Boeri Architetti-led team wins Genoa's Parco del Ponte job
by Stu Robarts | 15 Oct 2019
A team comprised of Stefano Boeri Architetti, Inside Outside and Metrogramma Milano have won a design competition for the regeneration of an area of Genoa beneath Renzo Piano 's new Morandi Bridge. The original bridge collapsed in August last year, killing 43 people. The Parco del Ponte competition was launched in March to regenerate the local area and create new public services, including a park, sports facilities, a public square,

Hugo Demetz and Alberto Apostoli create luxury eco resort, spa and residences for Lefay in the Italian Dolomites
by Jane Kitchen | 17 Jul 2019
Destination spa Lefay will open a luxury eco spa resort in the Italian Dolomites on 1 August. Located in the ski area of Madonna di Campiglio, Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti features 88 suites and 22 branded residences, as well as a 5,000sq m Lefay spa – one of the largest spas in the Alpine region. The resort was designed by architect Hugo Demetz, who used traditional materials such as

Attention Lego lovers – Europe's first Lego waterpark will be built in Italy
by Tom Anstey | 08 Jul 2019
Architects who love Lego will be able to treat their families to a Lego holiday experience when a new Lego waterpark opens in Italy in 2020. Gardaland has announced plans to open Europe's first Lego-branded waterpark, designed by Merlin Magic Making, with the multi-million dollar development set to open its doors next year. Aimed at families with children aged two to twelve, the new addition to the Italian theme park

Paola Navone updates historic Tuscan castello for COMO Resorts
by Jane Kitchen | 26 Mar 2019
Family-owned COMO Hotels and Resorts will open its first hotel in continental Europe next month, the COMO Castello del Nero in Italy. The Tuscan hotel will be the fifteenth property in the Group’s global portfolio. The 740-acre historic estate is situated in the Chianti wine region of Italy, a 30-minute drive from Florence and Siena. At the heart of the estate is a 12th century castello, featuring 50 rooms and

Snøhetta unveil plans for clifftop cultural museum in South Tyrol
by Andrew Manns | 27 Feb 2019
Scandinavian architecture practice Snøhetta have revealed the first renderings of their proposed design for the Bolzano Museum Quarter in South Tyrol, Italy. The cultural attraction, which – if greenlit – will be picturesquely situated atop Virgolo mountain, will also serve as a satellite facility, housing artefacts from the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology and the Municipal Museum of Bolzano as well as exhibition spaces for Otzi the Iceman – a

Arquitectonica and Martin Brudnizki team up to design Italy-inspired hotel
by Andrew Manns | 31 Jan 2019
Architecture firm Arquitectonica and interior designer Martin Brudnizki have designed the Mr. C Coconut Grove lifestyle hotel in South Florida. The 100-room retreat, which overlooks Biscayne Bay, rises six storeys and will feature several leisure facilities and terraces, including a fitness centre, garden, swimming pool, and spa with a private sauna, treatment room, and outdoor relaxation lounge. The nautical look of the resort – as shown by its azure and

noa*’s Silena Hotel fuses client wishes with architect’s desires
by Luke Cloherty | 30 Aug 2018
A new hotel in South Tyrol, Italy is coloured to match its natural surroundings throughout with Asian-style patterned panelling, its architect has told CLADglobal. Network of Architecture (noa*) have stripped the former Moarhof hotel down to its supportive structures and redesigned it as Silena, a new 29-room hotel. The architects have designed Silena in line with their “naturalistic-Asian” concept – a marriage of the client’s (Silena proprietors the Mair family)

New Pisa stadium will establish ‘strong synergies with its context’, says architect Paolo Iotti
by Luke Cloherty | 23 Jul 2018
A redeveloped football stadium designed by Italian architectural practice Iotti+Pavarani in Pisa, Italy will blend into its Tuscan surroundings and sit low, so as not to disrupt the skyline of the city, according to the architects. Paolo Iotti, partner at the firm, told CLADglobal : “The architectural intention is to define a ‘new landscape’ establishing strong synergies with its context rather than creating a self-contained object of ‘design’; our main

Architect Antonio Citterio to Keynote 2018 Global Wellness Summit
by Jane Kitchen | 22 Mar 2018
Underscoring the important connection between design and wellness, Antonio Citterio, the architect behind the design of Technogym Village – the 2018 Global Wellness Summit venue – will be a keynote at this year’s conference in Cesena, Italy, set to take place 6-8 October. Citterio is co-founder of the multi-disciplinary design practice of Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, which works in architectural, interior and urban design. The firm’s projects include residential and

Alberto Apostoli designs extensive Italian thermae spa
by Jane Kitchen | 20 Mar 2018
Studio Alberto Apostoli will design the spa of the new Grado Thermae in Italy, a thermal centre in an area with a long history of marine baths dating back to the early 19th century. The masterplan of the redevelopment is being overseen by architecture firm Archest, and it is hoped that the new thermal centre will boost tourism in the area. The first baths were built in Grado in 1932,

Second location confirmed for Lefay
by Jane Kitchen | 26 Feb 2018
Destination spa Lefay has announced plans for a second location, Lefay Resort and Spa Dolomiti, in the ski region of Madonna di Campiglio, Italy. Set in the Italian Dolomite mountains, the resort is due to open in 2019, and will include 84 suites and a 5,000sq m (54,000sq ft) wellbeing area. Swimming pools, relaxation areas, saunas, a fitness zone and numerous treatment rooms will all be included in the spa,

Libeskind leads jury for 'Art Prison' design competition to transform Mediterranean fortress
by Kim Megson | 25 Jan 2018
Design initiative Young Architects Competitions (YAC) has joined forces with the Italian government to launch ‘Art Prison’, an ideas contest for the refurbishment of a fortress on a remote island in southern Sicily. The fortress of Santa Caterina stands over the peak of Favignana, an isle in the Mediterranean Sea. It was once a prison but has stood abandoned for more than a century. Over time, it has become a

Welcome to the Gucci Garden: Alessandro Michele celebrates luxury brand with restaurant and museum in Florentine palace
by Kim Megson | 15 Jan 2018
The creative director of Gucci has opened a restaurant, museum and gift shop dedicated to the luxury fashion house – in a 14th-century Florentine palace. Alessandro Michele decided to open the attraction, called Gucci Garden, as a fun and accessible introduction to the brand and “a hypnotic territory that alters the state of consciousness and perception". The attraction spans three floors within the Palazzo della Mercanzia, which previously housed a

Alberto Apostoli-designed spa opens at Portopiccolo eco-resort
by Tom Walker | 20 Sep 2017
A new luxury spa has opened at the Portopiccolo Resort in Sistiana, Northern Italy, designed by Italian architect Alberto Apostoli. The facility is spread across three floors and covers a total floor area of 3,600sq ft (38,800sq ft). The ground floor houses the reception, hairstyling studio, a training pool and changing rooms, while on the first floor there is a relaxation area dominated by an indoor-outdoor pool, offering views of

Serie A club buys stadium and plans extensive revamp
by Matthew Campelli | 09 Aug 2017
Italian Serie A football team Atalanta has purchased its home stadium from the local authority and revealed its intention of redeveloping the antiquated venue. A contract between the football club and the Municipality of Bergamo has been agreed for the for the sum of €8.6m (£7.8m, US$10.1m), plus a further €2.3m (£2.1m, US$2.7m) or improvement works that were carried out in 2015. Further work will be done in the shape

Luxury boutique hotel La Speranzina opens on Lake Garda
by Tom Walker | 02 Jun 2017
A small boutique wellness retreat has opened on the shores of Lake Garda in Italy. The Speranzina Relais and Restaurant is privately owned and operated by the Giordano family and is located at the end of the Sirmione peninsula. Designed as an “über-luxury” retreat, the property has just three guest bedrooms – two of which are fitted with private spa areas. The 101sq m (1,000sq ft) Royal Suite Maria Luisa

Renovators wanted: Italian government giving away more than 100 heritage sites for free
by Tom Anstey | 19 May 2017
Italy’s government is giving away more than 100 historic buildings for free on the understanding that any prospective owners must turn their site into a heritage attraction. Hoping to breathe new life into disused public buildings, including castles, farmhouses and monasteries, the scheme was unveiled by the government-run Agenzia del Demanio (ADD) – Italy’s state property agency. "The goal is for private and public buildings which are no longer used

Hotel shaped like Dolomites mountain peak opens for explorers in Italy's Badia Valley
by Kim Megson | 19 Apr 2017
The sweeping Dolomites mountain range in northeastern Italy has inspired a dramatic new hotel designed by architecture firm Network of Architecture (noa*). The irregular, asymmetrical silhouette of the Hotel Tofana in the town of St. Kassian is designed to evoke one of the tree-lined mountain peaks that dominate the region’s Badia Valley, complete with plants lining the building's terraces and façade. Guests can “ascend” the hotel as if it was

Six floor Tyrolian ‘world of wellbeing’ undergoes luxury refurbishment
by Rebecca Barnes | 30 Mar 2017
Luxury health and spa resort Preidlhof in South Tyrol, Italy, will re-open on 1 April following a €6m ($6.44m, £5m) refurbishment that includes the addition of suites with 'spa loggias.' Overseen by Austrian designer Reinhard Köck, the resort will unveil 36 new luxury suites and five luxury penthouse suites, bringing the total number of rooms to 70. The suites will all feature spa loggias and some include whirlpools and private

Patricia Urquiola's intimate and contemporary Sereno hotel opens on Lake Como
by Kim Megson | 20 Mar 2017
Boutique hospitality group Sereno Hotels has announced the opening of Il Sereno Lago di Como – an “intimate, design-driven” hotel designed by Patricia Urquiola on the banks of Italy’s Lake Como. The picturesque location is a popular beauty spot, drawing tourists with its dramatic vistas of the southern Italian Alps and idyllic small towns, and George Clooney, Madonna and Donatella Versace have all snapped up properties on the lake. Il

Fiorentina sets out plan for 40,000-capacity stadium designed by Arup and Alberto Rolla
by Matthew Campelli | 13 Mar 2017
Alberto Rolla, one of the architects behind the recently-constructed Juventus Stadium, has designed a 40,000-capacity venue for Serie A rival Fiorentina. The ground will be located in Florence and cost around €420m (£367.2m, US$448m) to build. Stadium seating will be tight, with fans in the front row seven metres from the pitch. The surrounding 48 hectare area will be developed to include a hotel, a shopping mall, public realm, 700

AS Roma strikes deal with mayor to build new stadium
by Matthew Campelli | 28 Feb 2017
Serie A football club AS Roma has moved a step closer to achieving its own stadium after striking a deal with city officials. The Italian team has been trying to develop the 52,000-capacity Stadio Della Roma for a number of years, but has faced several delays. The delays were compounded when the anti-establishment Virginia Raggi of the 5-Star Movement became the city’s mayor last year and began pushing for design

BIG to design San Pellegrino bottling plant and visitor 'Experience Lab' after competition triumph
by Kim Megson | 15 Feb 2017
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) will design a new factory and visitor experience for mineral water company San Pellegrino, after finishing top of an international competition for the project. The studio revealed their sinuous design for the 17,500sq m (188,000sq ft) complex, which will “guide visitors through the 30-year journey of the natural mineral water,” is inspired by “the serpentine run of the Brembo river and the sloping Alpine mountainsides.” San

Innovative retractable roof proposed to protect Verona's historic ampitheatre
by Kim Megson | 03 Feb 2017
German studio GMP Arkitekten have won an international competition to add a retractable roof to Verona’s first century Roman amphitheatre. City officials want to add the new roof to the historic open-air structure – which once hosted Roman sports and ceremonies, but is now primarily a concert venue – in order to better preserve the structure and protect spectators from bad weather. The design competition was launched in March 2016
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