To close out a year of regeneration, Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station complex has unveiled another major change. The ground floor of the nearby Palazzina Reale has reopened as an international food space: Reale Firenze.
Designed to offer travellers and locals alike a convenient place to eat, the new mall is expected to contribute to the overall renewal of the long blighted station area.
Grande Stazioni S.p.A., the company that manages Italy’s main railway stations, and Elite Club Vacanze, a tourism group that holds an investment in the successful Mercato Centrale Firenze are the signatories to the agreement to convert the ground floor of the Palazzina Reale into an international food mall.
The new space, a celebration of Italian design and craftsmanship, will expand over the next few months to feature outdoor seating in the summer and host exhibitions and events.
The Palazzina Reale was, like the station itself, designed by the Gruppo Toscano architects, led by Giovanni Michelucci. Opened in 1935 in the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele III, the modernist ‘fascist style’ building with its echoes of ancient Rome and celebrated marble interiors, recently became the headquarters of Florence’s professional association of architects.
Reale Firenze
Piazza Stazione, 1 Via Valfonda – Platform 16 Santa Maria Novella railway station Florence
