Shooting all’hotel Torre Guelfa

A few days ago I had the pleasure and the honor to realize photographic shots at the hotel Torre Guelfa, in the heart of the historical center of Florence.

The hotel is an ancient medieval fortress, known historically as “Palazzo Acciaioli”. The current name “Torre Guelfa” derives from the tower belonging to it, which was built in 1281 by the Buondelmonti family, one of which gave rise to the historical struggles between Guelfi and Ghibellini. Between the XIII and the XIV century, during the “Kingdom of Naples”, the building passed to Niccolò Acciaioli, Italian merchant and politician, son of Acciaiolo, the Florentine family of Acciaioli, who also built the “Certosa del Galluzzo”, whose crest surmounts the Torre Guelfa entrance. There is a legend that builds on member of Acciaioli family according to which two happy souls still roam through the rooms of the building, unable to leave the places where they spent the most beautiful and lighthearted days of their youth: are the souls of Lorenzo di Donato Acciaioli and his wife Angela Federighi.

The Torre Guelfa is still one of the highest towers of Florence and one of the few remaining towers in the city, after the destruction over the centuries and the shelling of the Second World War.To access it, are present wooden stairs consist of 70 steps approximately.

The pictures you see, were taken in the salon of the hotel, which leads to the ancient staircase. The lounge has large elevated windows, elegant coffered ceilings, stone columns, marble, carpets, sofas and fine furnishings.

The medieval architectural structure has been retained almost unchanged over the centuries. The current appearance of ‘the hotel, protected by the fine arts, is due to a nineteenth century restructuring  that has preserved its historical aspects, creating an environment that is both charming and original as only a 700 years old building could be.

Thanks to Hotel Torre Guelfa

Pictures by Fabio Bernardini and Luca Gori