An interview with Riccardo Maccolini

An interview with Riccardo Maccolini

A feeling of togetherness and tranquillity pervades Palazzo Tornabuoni the moment you step inside off the busy thoroughfare of via degli Strozzi. I spoke with Riccardo Maccolini, who recently became the president of private residence Club Tornabuoni, returning home to Florence after a long spell working in fashion and retail

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Thu 12 Dec 2013 1:00 AM

A feeling of togetherness and tranquillity pervades Palazzo Tornabuoni the moment you step inside off the busy thoroughfare of via degli Strozzi. I spoke with Riccardo Maccolini, who recently became the president of private residence Club Tornabuoni, returning home to Florence after a long spell working in fashion and retail in London. 

 

Helen Farrell:What did you gain from your time overseas?

 

Riccardo Maccolini: Working in London taught me a lot about business. At a personal level, my family and I gained an invaluable life lesson. Living in such an incredibly international city is an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I have returned to Italy with a fresh outlook and a renewed appreciation of Florence.

 

HF:Where did you live in London?

 

RM: In Chiswick, which is just outside the centre, suitable for a family with two small children. It was interesting because we moved there when my little girl was two years old and now she’s five. My children now attend the French school here in Florence. When they were tested for their language abilities, the result was that they are both native English speakers.

 

 

 

HF:What do you think are the differences between life in Italy and the United Kingdom?

 

RM: Apart from the weather, I felt very welcome in the United Kingdom. I discovered how much love there is for Italy and for Florence in particular. In the short time that we’ve been back in Florence, many friends from London have visited us. When people first heard my Italian accent, their eyes would light up. As soon as I said I was from Florence, they would burst with joy. 

 

HF:Palazzo Tornabuoni is a private residence club, not a hotel. How does this work?

 

RM: The club exists thanks to its members, people who love Florence, who want to have a second home in Florence, yet without the responsibilities and problems of owning a second home. Here at Palazzo Tornabuoni they feel at home and are able to enjoy the quality of life to which they are accustomed. The club gives them the opportunity to participate fully in Florence’s cultural life. Our guests are involved, for example, with associations like Friends of Florence and Amici degli Uffizi. We also work with Palazzo Strozzi, giving our members an opportunity to attend private, personalized viewings before the museum opens its doors to the public. Reviving its sixteenth-century role as a civic hub, 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 Palazzo opens doors onto a Florentine social and cultural landscape that visitors rarely glimpse.

 

 

 

HF:Your family has contributed to the history of the Palazzo, having been involved in its restoration and renovation. Were any hidden gems found during the restoration work?

 

RM: Palazzo Tornabuoni is a joint venture between RDM Fingen Group in Florence and J. Byrne Murphy of Kitebrook Partners, Washington, DC. Together they had the vision and foresight to restore such an important piece of history. Prior to the restoration, the Palazzo had been used as a bank, and there was little interest in the building’s cultural and historical aspect. It took nearly four years to renovate and restore the Palazzo. During the renovation, we discovered frescoes that had been painted over—we don’t know why. We also unearthed what is now our cigar room: its windows and doors had been blocked. When we tapped on the wall, it had a completely different sound, so we realised that there was a hidden room inside.

 

HF:In what way does the Palazzo’s wealth of history appeal to club members?

 

RM: Today, Palazzo Tornabuoni is carrying on a tradition introduced by the Medici family. As I mentioned, this building was once the cultural hub of Florence: writers, inventors and artists visiting Florence passed through these very rooms. Today we invite leading figures here to meet our members to encourage cultural exchange and experiences. Furthermore, the Sala delle Muse is the home of the very first opera, Jacopo Peri’s Dafne, and the club members recently purchased a Steinway grand piano, which they now play in that historic room. Twenty-four different nationalities are represented here at the Palazzo, so the cultural interaction inside the building alone is considerable. The two most prevalent nationalities are British and American: just entering the Palazzo and breathing in the history that exudes from its very walls is an inspiration for them. Plus, they are drawn by the Palazzo’s beauty, by the fact that they can sleep in the same room as Medici Pope Leo XI, by the proximity of some of the world’s best museums and restaurants and the beautiful Tuscan countryside.

 

HF:What are the Palazzo’s plans for the future, both in the short and medium term?

 

RM: I’ve only been here for a short time—I became full-time in early September—so my immediate aim is to strive for even higher levels of excellence and to continue the success of this club, albeit with a slightly different angle, focusing on culture and integration with Florence’s social fabric. At present, there are 74 members in the residence club, plus another 6 members who have purchased apartments here in the Palazzo. In the future, we would like to organise charity events, raising funds to give something back to Florence. This is an idea that I am developing with the club members, and their backing is essential to all of Palazzo Tornabuoni’s projects. In the meantime, I am proud to be the president of one of the finest and most iconic residence clubs in the world.

 

 

 

It all began here

For a unique glimpse into both the first opera and the restoration of Palazzo Tornabuoni, see http://theflr.net/dho3pq

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