DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
Emperors Joseph II and Leopold II , Giacomo Casanova , Carlo Goldoni , Joachim Murat and Prince Bernadotte .
Its current appearance , with its eclectic-style façade decorated with Corinthian pilasters and floral friezes , is the result of a reconstruction project by engineers Eugenio Geiringer and Giovanni Righetti . The hotel ’ s façade and interior redevelopment project , by Egidio Panzera Architect , was the result of a careful historical / architectural study .
The location in the centre of Trieste , on one of the most beautiful squares in Europe , and perhaps the largest overlooking the sea , required an analysis of the context and the city in many respects . Trieste is a frontier city , Mitteleuropean , hiding in a somewhat dreamy light an energy stemming from strong contrasts and diversity : located by the sea , but protected by a plateau , it is a melting pot of different cultures and religions . A complexity that has always fuelled a desire for knowledge and creativity . “ Trieste has a surly grace ” Saba wrote of his city , while Schiele describes it by painting its reflection in the sea , that reflection that breaks the image , fragments it , mixes the colours and returns the complexity of Trieste .
Complexity , contrasts and reflections inspired the design of the Grand Hotel Duchi D ’ Aosta , as did the phrase of Giuseppe Cipriani , founder with his son of Harry ’ s Bar inside the hotel . He said of the art of hospitality : “... the first secret of hospitality is complex simplicity . A simplicity sought in everything from the dishes to the décor , to the welcoming of guests that goes hand in hand with the complexity of the details ...” And around the Grand Hotel Duchi d ’ Aosta gravitate simple excellences that together give a complex , rich response :
-Harry ’ s Piccolo restaurant with Chefs Matteo Metullio and Davide De Pra , two Michelin stars , already the subject of an interior design intervention by arch . Egidio Panzera ; -Harry ’ s Pastry Shop ;
-Harry ’ s Bar , already the subject of an interior design intervention by architect Egidio Panzera .
The project by Egidio Panzera Architect
The restyling project for the Dukes takes shape from the desire to maintain the heritage of the place , a surgical project that does not , however , deprive itself of introducing contemporary interpretations , design nuances that place the spaces between the past and the present . The intention was to emphasise the historical importance of its spaces through the choice of colours and materials that would reinforce its elitist nature , its identity , whose maximum splendour was reached during the Habsburg domination . Typical of Habsburg interiors , green , red and blue
- 67 -