Pursuit of Exquisite Craftsmanship

When it comes to Lungarno Collection, the Ferragamo brand and its founder Salvatore Ferragamo cannot be ignored. He was only sixteen years of age when he lehis small shoe shop in Bonito in Italy and moved to America in 1915. Within very few years he became ‘e Shoemaker of the Stars‘, hand craing and designing footwear for the most famous Hollywood actresses. 

In 1937, he returned to Italy and chose to live in Florence, where he found cultured and professional leather artisans adhering to ancient traditions and opened his store in a grand medieval palace in the historic Via Tornabuoni, starting his own brand. His customers included lm stars, celebrities, diplomats, and nobility alike. e extensive contact with the upper class people and the pursuit of exquisite crasmanship laid a solid foundation for the Lungarno Collection.

”Entering the world of hospitality was very important to my family as it‘s very similar to the world of fashion, giving us the opportunity to create a different experience and lasting memories. 

All of our hotels are unique, yet consistent with our profound vision. The proud symbol of the Lungarno Collection is a six petal flower, inspired by the Florentine emblem of the red iris. It extends an invitation to our guests to discover the beauty of Italy in full bloom.” Although the Lungarno Collection was founded by Salvatore‘s youngest son Leonardo instead of Salvatore, people still consider the latter as as the first extraordinary hotelier of the brand, because it was he who installed a strong sense of refined hospitality and a deep love for Florence in his children.

Why Portrait

Currently, the Lungarno Collection has five hotels and two of them stand out Portrait Roma and Portrait Firenze. Why are they so named You will know it after stepping into the hotels. An enormous amount of photos can be found on the walls in the two hotels, especially black and white photos, presenting the 1950s60s Florence before the eyes of guests.

The building of the Portrait Firenze boasts an ageold and fascinating history dating back to the 1200‘s. It was a sumptuous threestory palazzo with terraced garden overlooking the Arno river. Then the ancient palazzo was converted into a luxury hotel named the Grand Hotel Royal de l‘Arno in the early 1800‘s after several changes of ownership and structural renovations, equipped with every modern comfort. The hotel accommodated quite a few inllustrious guests like Charles Dickens and his wife. Unfortunately, the building was bombed and destroyed during World War II. Rebuilt on its foundations and used for a variety of purposes, it then returned to its original purpose as a hotel, becoming part of the Lungarno Collection.

Photos in the suites and in public areas of the Portrait Firenze bring the city‘s golden period from the 50s to 60s back to life, when Italian high fashion took off and international celebrities started arriving, like Italian soprano singer Maria Callas, Greek soprano singer Renata Tebaldi, King Baudouin of Belgium, American actress Grace Kelly. Of course there are also photos of Salvatore Ferragamo, his daughter Fiamma Ferragamo, and some of the designers he has had dealings with, like Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli. 

Portrait Roma is located throughout the upper floors of the townhouse directly above the Salvatore Ferragamo Men‘s Store on Via Condotti continues the artistic life and creative passion of Salvatore Ferragamo. Photos depicting the fashion heritage of Salvatore Ferragamo are displayed along the stairwells and in the guestrooms.

Art Exists Everywhere

Each hotel of the Lungarno Collection has its own personality, drawing inspiration from urban culture and history and making the guests feel as if going back to the good old days. The designer of the hotels Michele Bönan said, ”My concept of architecture goes back more than a century, when various arts, sculpture, painting and architecture, were fused together to find a harmonic unicum, with the decorations become one with the building.”

Whether it is the Hotel Lungarno which was renovated from a 16 century residence, or the Gallery Hotel Art which reproduces the beauty of the Florence Renaissance, or the Continetale Hotel which evokes Italian inspiration from the 1950‘s and 60‘s fashion and cinema period, design master Bönan‘s focus on detail reaches an extremely high level. One of his pursuits is to fuse the interior with the exterior in a perfectly artistic manner.

As a fashion brand that owns and manages hotels, the Ferragamo family inspired the Lungarno Collection with its unfailing spirit of innovation. Creative and profound Florentine craftsmanship and impeccable locations add to the style of the hotels. Whether it is on the most romantic stretch of the River Arno in Florence or the fashion street of Via Condotti in Rome, beauty, passion, attention to detail and sumptuous handcrafted materials are always featured by the hotels. Just like the fashion brand Ferragamo, the Lungarno Collection caters to the individuality of each guest.