In Pietrasanta, the heart of Versilia, the boutique hotel Paradis, with its Ariodante bar and the homonymous gourmet restaurant, is designed around art and beauty, boasting many sculptures, cosy interiors and a private garden celebrating the Mediterranean colors.
Inside a historic building in Piazza Crispi, Paradis Pietrasanta Hotel keeps the promise enclosed in its name; a jewel of only 11 rooms and a suite created from the vision of Alain Cirelli, Parisian chef and art collector, who founded in this charming town its new “home”.
Inaugurated in 2021 and open all year round, the Paradis is part of a larger project that includes an organic estate with a country-hotel, the Paradis Agricole, and a spectacular restaurant, the Paradis Restaurant, located just inside the palace. It is not surprising that its carefully selected clientele includes artists and collectors from all over the world who gather here just like in a retro “literary salon”.
The name Paradis is a tribute to Versilia, a paradise to live all year round, as well as the continuation of my latest Parisian project, an event space that I called Purgatory.
(Alain Cirelli, chef and founder)
The two-storey building in which the Paradis is located overlooks the boundary walls and the medieval tower of Pietrasanta, splendidly integrated in the hotel, thanks to the renovation carried out by the architecture studios Point 3 Architecture and Startt. The project was, in fact, aimed at preserving the magic of the place, today a perfect treasure chest for works of art from all over the world.
Catellani&Smith and Flos lamps were chosen for the lighting as they blend harmoniously with the owners’ beautiful collection of 60s lights, whilst Casamance fabrics were selected for the textile decor. Each room is a tribute to Pietrasanta with details such as Renaissance busts and the sculptures of Igor Mitoraj, “the sculptor of Pietrasanta”, whose museum is located right next to the hotel.
Two long galleries, full of works of art, have been created between the floors ending on an open loggia. From here you can admire the fortifications of the city and you can access the rooms. In addition to amenities of all kinds, in each room there is a tablet to order room service, book a massage or sport sessions with Iacopo, the hotel’s personal trainer.
Some rooms offer direct access to the magnificent garden designed by the landscape architect Jan Mus, already author of the extraordinary Paradis Agricole, who here wanted to pay homage to the warm colors of the Mediterranean sea through a combination of plants, flowers and fruit trees that are wonderful in every season.
On the ground floor, with an outdoor area in Piazza Crispi, the Ariodante bar is a must for local connoisseurs. Here, among works by Cesar, Lorenzo Quinn, Ciulla and Follon, delicious aperitifs and signature cocktails are prepared to sip while chatting away, perhaps after visiting the over 40 exhibition galleries that populate this extraordinary Tuscan destination, a world record!
The Secret
The definition “the little Athens of Versilia” attributed to Pietrasanta appears, it seems for the first time, in a letter written by Gabriele D’Annunzio to Corrado Govoni in 1913. The letter is published in the book “Lettere a Corrado Govoni” published by Adelphi.
Useful Info
Paradis Pietrasanta Restaurant
Piazza Francesco Crispi 11
55045 Pietrasanta, Lucca
Tel. +39 058 41811031
Rooms: from 200 to 800 euro, depending on season and room type
