Located on the grounds of the 1792 Villa Siracusa, Ponti’s 1961 design is set amidst a tropical garden featuring dozens of species of rare and exotic palms. Roberto Fernandes commissioned Ponti to design the 96-room hotel atop the ruins of a 19th-century English Gothic castle. In many respects, the design feels at once hypermodern (for 1961 perhaps) while maintaining cognizance of its regal heritage—Ponti would write, “For life to be great and full we have to combine the past with the future.” Photo 2 of 27 in Gio Ponti’s Parco dei Principi Hotel

Gio Ponti’s Parco dei Principi Hotel

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Located on the grounds of the 1792 Villa Siracusa, Ponti’s 1961 design is set amidst a tropical garden featuring dozens of species of rare and exotic palms. Roberto Fernandes commissioned Ponti to design the 96-room hotel atop the ruins of a 19th-century English Gothic castle. In many respects, the design feels at once hypermodern (for 1961 perhaps) while maintaining cognizance of its regal heritage—Ponti would write, "For life to be great and full we have to combine the past with the future."