Filmmaker (and winemaker) Francis Ford Coppola has gone back to his roots with the opening of his new hotel in southern Italy.
The Godfather filmmaker has opened the luxury hotel, called Palazzo Margherita, in the small town of Bernalda. The town has a historical meaning for Coppola, as it is the birthplace of his grandfather, Agostino.
The a 19th-century Italian villa has been renovated and its interiors redesigned by Jacques Grange. Highlights include hand-painted fresco ceilings in Baroque style, furniture designed by Grange and marble flooring. The result is a beautiful and captivating experience, lush with ‘old world’ elegance.
The hotel has only nine bedrooms and suites, making for an intimate setting. In keeping with Coppola’s film background, the salon is turned into a private screening room in the evenings where more than 300 Italian films (from Coppola’s personal collection) are available to watch.
The hotel is part of Coppola’s growing real estate empire. It is his sixth hotel – the first in Europe. He also has hotels in Belize, Argentina, Guatemala and the United States.