Face to face with the stars

There are places in Italy that exert a magnetic attraction on art films and the world that revolves around the stars of Hollywood, Cannes, Venice: they are the hotels that host directors, actors and producers, the protagonists of yesterday and today.

The Grand Hotel Majestic "già Baglioni" in Bologna, the Due Torri Hotel in Verona, the Bernini Palace in Florence and the Bristol Palace Hotel in Genoa have always played an important role: after all, beauty needs to be seen from a different angle if it is to live on film. It needs windows that are open to the world and places where art and culture are absorbed in an international environment. Like the hotels in the Duetorrihotels Group.

BOLOGNA

The atmosphere at the Grand Hotel Majestic in Bologna was very exciting during 2017. If yesterday the hotel was the Bolognese "home" of Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, Woody Allen and Sophia Loren, today the only 5-star luxury hotel in the city hosts the stars of the moment. Amongst the “sightings” that set the photographers' flashes popping, the most recent timewise were Carlo Verdone and Ilenia Pastorelli, who presented their film “Benedetta Follia” in Bologna.

But if you glance at the guest book, you'll see the signatures of director Francis Ford Coppola and actor Pierce Brosnan who was accompanied by his wife, journalist Keely Shaye Smith. They were in Bologna to take part in the Biografilm Festival, the first international event entirely devoted to life stories. An international event that will return from 9 to 19 June 2018: lovers of art week are already in a frenzy as they wait to find out which new guests will be staying at the Majestic at that time. Stay tuned!

FLORENCE

But there is another art city that represents Italy abroad form the point of view of image, cinema and more: and that is Florence, which over the years has welcomed Ridley Scott, Al Pacino, James Ivory, Jane Champion. The portrayal of the fiery relationship between John Malkovich and Nicole Kidman is unforgettable. In Florence cinema found support at the 5-star Bernini Palace just around the corner from the Palazzo Vecchio.

Keep your eyes peeled, because in March 2018 the Bernini will host the Korea Film Fest. The hotel had this honour last year, when it hosted director and screenwriter Park Chan-wook, the multi-award-winning author of Oldboy and other chapters of the Vengeance Trilogy, who is a particular favourite of Quentin Tarantino's. Who will be this year's guests? We'll find out very soon.

VERONA

From contemporary Korean cinema to the timeless story of love between Romeo and Juliet: In Verona we have the Due Torri Hotel, which recently made headlines by becoming a set for the movie “Un Amore Così Grande”, directed by Christian De Mattheis and presented at the Venice Film Festival. If you pay attention, you'll recognise the locations between one scene and another: the Lounge, the Presidential Suite and the Arena Casarini provided the perfect backdrops. During the filming the 14th-century Palazzo dell'Aquila hosted troupes and actors, who tuned in to the romantic "vibes" of this historic building that's just a short distance from Juliet's balcony and Shakespearean locations par excellence. The protagonists of the film included ‘Il Volo’, the trio famous all over the world as the new ambassador of Bel Canto, and a cast with Giuseppe Maggio and Francesca Loy playing the leading roles.

GENOA

A cinema atmosphere also in Genoa, at the Bristol Palace, the Art Nouveau building built in the early 1900s and the site of lavish parties and memorable receptions. Illustrious guests have included Emperor Hirohito, the Infanta of Spain, Rudolf Nureyev and many more. When you cross the threshold you are literally captivated by a unique sight: the elliptical staircase in white marble that continues up to the sixth floor. They say that Alfred Hitchcock was inspired by this feature for the most famous scene in "Vertigo". At that time the master of suspense was staying at the Hotel as he was in Genoa shooting some of the scenes for "To Catch a Thief". But the relationship between the Bristol and Hitchcock is much older: the director lived here in 1925 while he was making his very first film, "The Pleasure Garden". Evidently the 5-star hotel was a constant source of inspiration!

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Face to face with the stars