The first thing you'll notice when you step into Bella Posta is that white walls are the exception rather than the rule. Warm terracotta, soft sage green, sunny yellow and delicate peach tones accompany you throughout the house. No two rooms are alike, and every space has its own personality.
But why?
The answer begins long before the first wall was painted. For many years, Bella Posta was known as Hotel Post Victoria. Its history, however, goes back much further – to the 16th century, when a farmhouse stood on this very site. It later became an inn and eventually the well-known Post Victoria: a place where travellers arrived, stayed for a while and continued on their journey.
Like many historic buildings, the house changed over the centuries. It was extended, renovated and adapted to the needs of each generation, gradually losing much of its original architectural identity. So when we set out to redesign Bella Posta, our first question wasn't about colours or furniture. It was something much more fundamental.
What remains when a house becomes new again?
The answer came quickly. The former Post Victoria was never meant to become a museum. But neither did we want it to become just another hotel.
Instead, we chose to preserve the elements that still give the house its character today: the historic staircase and its original railing, the historic double doors leading into the rooms, the wood panelling, the tiled stoves, and the many paintings and cherished details that have been part of the house for years. Everything else was free to evolve.
From the very beginning, Bella Posta was designed to bring together seemingly opposite ideas: hotel and residence. Opulent yet refined. Eclectic yet cosy. Spacious yet smart. Above all, it was meant to feel welcoming, relaxed and full of that unmistakable Italian way of life that can't really be explained – only experienced. This vision first took shape through Bella Posta's colour concept. Together with the architects at Studio raro, that identity was then translated into the building through colours, materials and countless thoughtful details that define Bella Posta today.
The colours were never meant to look historic. They were meant to express the joy of living.
They evoke sun-warmed façades, Mediterranean gardens, ripe lemons, an aperitivo on the terrace and long summer evenings with friends. In short: warmth, lightness and plenty of Dolce Vita.
Perhaps that's exactly why no wall at Bella Posta was left white. Not because white isn't beautiful. But because Bella Posta was created to make people smile. A house that embraces its history without living in the past. A house that makes you want to go on holiday.
Why No Wall at Bella Posta Was Left WhiteThe first thing you'll notice when you step into Bella Posta is that white walls are the exception rather than the rule. Warm terracotta, soft sage green, sunny yellow and delicate peach tones accompany you throughout the house. No two rooms are alike, and every space has its own ...Read more