If you look closely at the boot-shape of Italy, you will notice a small gap between the tip and the heel. That spot is Basilicata, a heaven made of green lands and beautiful seashores. Well, you must know that the ancient Greeks were the first to notice this place, long before the Roman era, thus the region was part of the Hellenic Magna Graecia.
Closer to our times, in 1892, a famous Italian family, the Margherita Family, chose the small town of Bernalda in Matera (one of the two provinces that make up Basilicata), to build a beautiful place that today is just as impressive as it was on the day it was built: Palazzo Margherita. For a long time, the Palazzo belonged to the Margherita family, up until the 21st Century, when Palazzo Margherita enchanted with its history-rich uniqueness the iconic filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola who decided to buy the property in 2004. For Francis, the building is, in a way, a return to the roots, because Bernalda is the home town of his grandfather, Agostino Coppola, who often reminisced with nostalgia and affection the places of his childhood.
When Francis bought the Palazzo Margherita, he intended to turn it into an opulent Italian boutique hotel, aiming to attract visitors, thus putting the spotlight on this still unexplored region. And so, he did. After getting the property, Francis completely renovated it with help from lauded French designer Jacques Grange. The coquette hotel is very intimate, designed more like a luxurious family retreat, featuring only nine suites.
Because Francis wished for the Palazzo to be a place where his children would always want to return, he asked them for ideas about its design. And it was brilliant. The suites are nothing alike. Although elegant and exquisitely designed, each one has their own style, one more beautiful than the other, different and part of the same concept at the same time. The main characteristic of the suites is space. The rooms are large with high ceilings, but in a way that does not overwhelm and creates the feeling of a home away from home, complete with everything you need.
Luxurious comfort is the main feature Palazzo Margherita, from the floral wallpaper, the hammam and chroma-therapy bathrooms of the Sofia suite (Francis’s daughter), to the North African influences of the suite designed by Francis himself, as homage to his grandmother’s Tunisian roots.
The spacious bathrooms take the same line of design, marble, coloured stoneware and glass, offering the opulent comfort feeling of the ancient emperor’s baths. The technology blends perfectly with the design concept of the Palazzo Margherita boutique hotel, the modern equipment syncing harmoniously with the 19th-century appearance of the iconic edifice. The dining experience in Palazzo Margherita is unique! Although the selection of bars is quite vast for a hotel of its size (Cinecitta Bar, Family Bar, Pool Bar), the Eat-in-Kitchen restaurant is what guests will remember about: originally designed as a family home, the hotel features a big kitchen where guests can enjoy a family-like dinner.
The dishes cooked in the intimate atmosphere are typical from the Basilicata region (although the menus offer many other international recipes). And the gourmet addicted can even take part in organized courses in which the traditional techniques can be carried away at the end of the journey beyond the borders of Bernalda. Francis Ford Coppola is not only a legendary director but he is also endowed with a perfect artistic sense. His genius transformed the already iconic Palazzo Margherita building into an exclusive attraction where you can experience Italy like a genuine “Italiano Vero”!
Enjoy even more @ Palazzo Margherita
by Claudia Ciclovan