In Florence, an original lifestyle hotel, part of the famous 25hours chain, inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy and furnished with the taste and irony of the architect and interior designer Paola Navone.
Inaugurated in 2021, the 25hours Hotel Firenze is dedicated to the Florentine “Supreme Poet”, author of one of the most famous journeys in history between Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, the first in Italy opened by Ennismore, an important international player in the creative hospitality sector.
Located in the district of Santa Maria Novella, in the heart of Florence, in the spaces of the former Banco dei Pegni and in that of the ancient convent adjacent to the homonymous church of San Paolino, the structure is completely inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. A dreamlike universe that the designer Paola Navone has composed, having a lot of fun, by combining, with her signature style, pieces of international design with works of art and objects created to measure by her team at Studio Otto.
Heaven for climate, hell for company!
(Mark Twain)
The result is astonishing right from the entrance, where the visitor in the check-in area is greeted by a huge installation created by artist Patrick Bailly with salvaged suitcases found around Europe. The shelves, recreated inside the trunks, make up one of the coolest gadget and gift shops in the city, where objects such as the silver “lifebuoy” wings and the “crime scene” Do Not Disturb tag are just the prelude of a stay that will be difficult to forget.
The center of the hotel scene is the luxuriant winter garden housed in the internal courtyard covered by a spectacular glass dome where we find the San Paolino restaurant. A pleasant “cultural agora” open to all, furnished with large vases and jars in Tuscan terracotta and an installation of sound-absorbing green leaves, made with recycled fabrics and materials by the artist Linda Nieuwstad.
The food&bev offer, also very popular with non-guests of the structure, is completed by the Alimentari bakery and cafeteria designed in collaboration with S. Forno, the most famous bakery in Florence, overlooking Piazza San Paolino, and the Companion Bar, a retro-style cocktail lounge open in the evening.
The serious fun begins when at the reception they will ask you if you prefer to stay in Heaven or Hell, as, in separate wings, the rooms are set up in a completely different way between the two worlds. Although Heaven may be more tempting, to paraphrase Mark Twain, it is Hell that you will surely have the most fun. Starting with the lift which, instead of the floors, marks Dante’s circles.
The rooms, of different sizes, some of them boasting a large garden, are equipped with all comforts, including the free minibar. It’s here that Paola Navone’s ironic vein really emerges. The wallpaper is reminiscent of antique brocades, the chandelier is composed of tags with the names of the sins of Hell, and the furnishings in red glossy lacquered wood, or finished with a burnt effect, and many other fun details are, in fact, designed by Studio Otto-Paola Navone and made to measure by specialized companies. Do not miss an “artistic” walk along the corridors to look – and photograph! – the small sculptures that are found outside each room and that describe the sin that distinguishes it.
Surprise and fun are the common thread of all the other services and features offered by the Hotel, such as the Cinema Paradiso, a cinema lounge, the Sala delle Celesti Armonie with pool table and record player, the gym and the sauna with the original relaxation area, the garden that hosts live music and entertainment from aperitif time, as well as Schindelhauer bikes always available to visit the city.
After all, hell is not that bad.
The Secret
A custom of Anglo-Saxon derivation, all the largest hotel chains boast their own “teddy”, a mascot bear of the structure designed to entertain the little guests. Not without irony, the teddy of 25hours Hotel Firenze is a gray plush mouse that you will find waiting for you in the rooms and available for purchase at the store on the ground floor.
Useful Info
25hours Hotel Firenze
Piazza di S. Paolino 1
50123 Firenze
Tel. +39 055 2966911
Rooms from 160 euro
First courses: from 14 euro
Second courses: from 18 euro
