Openings: Four Seasons from Istanbul to Florence
Ken Scrudato
May 22, 2008
Although Turkey still totters dizzyingly between the EU and its latent Muslim conservatism, the opening of the city’s second Four Seasons hotel definitely confirms its status as an officially scorching destination-of-the-moment. And never mind about Kipling -- at the new Four Seasons at the Bosphorus, the twain absolutely do meet, and quite magnificently so, we must say. The converted 19th-century Ottoman palace has 166 bright, contemporary rooms and features both Turkish and Mediterranean restaurants, a stylish lobby lounge, and a haman-equipped spa. Positioned on the European bank of the river, it’s a short trip to the Hagia Sophia, one of the world’s most grandiose architectural wonders.
In Europa’s other great cathedral city, ever-glorious Firenze, the luxe hotelier opens its first Central Italy property in the (what else?) art-filled 15th-century Della Gherardesca Palazzo, originally built by that old-world star-architect Antonio da Sangallo. Renovated under the strict direction of the Ministry of Fine Arts & Culture, its 117 rooms are done up in dazzling neo-classical style, and the Il Palagio restaurant features dramatic, vaulted ceilings and a serene garden courtyard. Perhaps a neo-neo-Renaissance is in order, then. Both hotels open in mid-July.
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