Reflected throughout our properties, Rocco Forte Hotels’ passion for art is one of the founding pillars of the brand. We’ve proven our commitment over the years, not least by supporting a number of events and exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, including last year’s architectural display, Renzo Piano: The Art of Making Buildings.
This year, we’re going a step further, offering our very own Rocco Forte Hotels Architecture Prize as part of the Summer Exhibition Architecture Prize at the Royal Academy of Arts. Our £5,000 prize will be awarded for “an outstanding work of architectural design” within this year’s theme: A Sustainable World, chosen by Spencer de Grey RA.
The focus of this year’s submissions is the ever-evolving relationship between creative design and an environmentally sustainable agenda. This is something de Grey himself has experience with—he was the overseer for The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, the world’s largest single-span glasshouse and home to many plant species threatened by human developments and climate change. The Royal Academy’s exhibition of shortlisted and award-winning submissions will be held in the Architecture Room.
Later this year, the environmental theme at the Royal Academy continues, with exhibition Eco-Visionaries set to open on 24th November 2019. Through a display of cutting-edge art, sculpture, installation, architectural models, digital media and more, it aims to investigate the way in which mankind can respond to and help combat the environmental changes transforming our planet.
Vivacious, glamorous, powerful. Few figures encapsulate the effortless grandeur of the Belle Époque quite like Donna Franca, our Sicilian muse. Famed for her petite frame, thick dark hair and an exquisite fashion sense that has endured for over a century, Franca was the epitome of an era that placed beauty and high fashion at its forefront.
The festive season brings its own kind of sparkle - a flurry of celebrations, feasts, and time with those who matter most. To make gifting simple, we’ve curated a selection of bespoke experiences to delight everyone on your list. From candlelit dinners and Italian wine tastings to tranquil spa escapes and moments devoted to yourself, each experience thoughtfully crafted to offer moments of joy.
In a time when beauty shaped every facet of life — from the curve of a staircase to the vivid bloom of a painted iris — Italy’s Stile Liberty captured the optimism of a new century. Across Europe in the late 19th century, the Belle Époque blurred the line between art and the everyday, celebrating craftsmanship, elegance, and expressive freedom. Now, a new cultural itinerary, From Mucha to Florio, traces that movement between Hotel de la Ville in Rome and Villa Igiea in Palermo, two different cities, two glorious expressions of the same artistic impulse.
