Literary Travel in London, Florence and Rome
Guided by the pages of influential writers, we explore the imagination behind the most romantic of European cities.
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.
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Verdura’s Private Villas: Living the Sicilian Way
Sicily is “the key to everything”, or so wrote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his works, Italian Journey. Throughout history, the largest island in the Mediterranean has captivated travellers as a land of myth, natural beauty and ancient memory. Shaped by Greek colonies, Emirates of Crete, Roman Provinces, Norman Kingdoms and Spanish rule, Sicily holds the imprint of civilisations past. Woven into its landscapes, their presence remains with its buildings, ruins and along the pretty coastal paths that follow its shores.
Inside the Donna Franca Suite at Villa Igiea
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.