Palazzo Tornabuoni, Italy’s only private residence club, is a success. The numbers speak for themselves: 109 members, 34 nationalities and 7 years of finery. What those figures do not give you, however, is the full picture of this thriving cultural centre and community. The members of the Palazzo, from as far as Australia and Asia, South America and Northern Europe, all have one thing in common: an appreciation of beauty and love of Florence. And it’s this love that inspires the members’ active involvement and integration with the city.
The members of Palazzo Tornabuoni at the Christmas party
On May 17, Palazzo Tornabuoni will celebrate a milestone: the success and completion of the private residence club. It’s a project that began life in 2004, when renovation work got underway with the perfect equilibrium of respect for the fifteenth-century palazzo and the need for contemporary comforts befitting a luxury lifestyle. The Palazzo is a joint venture between RDM Fingen Group in Florence owned by Corrado and Marcello Fratini and J. Byrne Murphy of Kitebrook Partners, Washington DC. Dr. Jacopo Mazzei, former CEO and a partner of RDM, comes from one of the oldest Florentine families and, along with the Fratini brothers, is the visionary and driving force behind the restoration and redevelopment of this historical landmark.
Today, Palazzo Tornabuoni is a no-profit cultural association, whose members provide the finances needed to maintain the Palazzo and its works of art, while the 30 employees work in the interests of the members. The Palazzo is exclusively designed to provide the ultimate services just for the benefit of Members and their families. It’s neither a hotel, nor are these luxury rented apartments—you can’t just book a room for the night. The Palazzo is a place of sophisticated exchange and integration, which provides exclusive access to insider Florence.
A charity dinner for Florence’s Meyer children’s hospital
Members of Palazzo Tornabuoni enjoy unique events and activities arranged by the Club Attaché, Gabrielle Taylor: dinners prepared by leading chefs and in the company of renowned wine producers followed by select visits to private estates such as Il Borro belonging to the Ferragamo family; unparalleled birthday celebrations at unique Florentine palazzi such as the magnificent Palazzo Corsini with one-off elite access to the noble family’s private art collection; and exclusive, personalized viewings of Palazzo Strozzi exhibitions before the museum opens its doors to the public. Members also receive many exclusive invitations to attend special events taking place in the city, allowing them once again to be a part of the true Florentine lifestyle.
The Club Lounge
Reviving its sixteenth-century role as a civic fulcrum, Palazzo Tornabuoni is once again an integral part of the city’s vibrant cultural life and a dynamic forum for intellectual, social and business encounters. The library-like Club Lounge at the Palazzo is not only a relaxing place for an espresso or an aperitivo, but a meeting place where members can exchange cultural experiences. It’s also a focal point for encounters with visiting experts and academics, ranging from entertaining art history and fashion presentations to more in depth discussions on subjects as diverse as economics and modern Italian design and architecture. (Indeed, The Florentine is a frequent visitor to the Palazzo, the perfect international setting for book presentations and cultural projects among informed and engaged company.)
A beautiful detail at Palazzo Tornabuoni
What’s most important is that the members give back to Florence through supporting city initiatives such as the recent Mayors of the World conference, charity auctions with monies raised devolved to city organizations and active participation in associations like Friends of Florence and Amici degli Uffizi. Members happily “lend” their apartments to the Club on a temporary basis, providing accommodation to the Artists in Residence Programme, allowing these artists and scholars in order to encourage and foster cultural exchange and support the talent of tomorrow.
Recently, the Palazzo’s Michelozzo Residence, with its 18th-century floral mosaic floor and exquisite white-stucco dome, was closed for two months for upkeep and maintenance—a necessary part of owning a piece of Florentine history. Palazzo Tornabuoni’s Sala delle Muse now belongs to two members, who willingly open up the space for truly world-class events for Club members and friends of the Palazzo. (This room features in the history books: it resounded with the world’s first opera, Jacopo Peri’s Dafne, in 1594.)
Fresco finery at 15th-century Palazzo Tornabuoni
The black-and-white cocktail party exclusive for Palazzo Tornabuoni members on May 17 is not only a time of celebration; it marks an important step forward, a new phase in the project. President of Club Tornabuoni, Riccardo Maccolini, explained, “We will continue to expand the project. The members of Palazzo Tornabuoni give so much back to Florence. As a non-profit organization our members care about and finance the upkeep of the art and beauty of the Palazzo, as well as making an invaluable contribution to Florence’s cultural and commercial life… The new lifecycle of the Club will hold true to these values, while striving to increase the number of memberships to Florence’s—and Italy’s—only private residence club.”
For more information about Palazzo Tornabuoni, a private residence club in the heart of Florence, visit www.palazzotornabuoni.com.
