Inside Hotelier Marie-Louise Sciò’s Roman Hideaway

Rip & Tan: How would you define the aesthetic of each hotel under Pellicano’s umbrella? How do they celebrate and speak to Italian design?

Marie-Louise Sciò: Our three hotels are joyful, elegant, and have an understated elegance.

What I try to do is bring our guests into the world of each of the hotels, share the story of these places, which are all unique and irreplicable. When it comes to design, I think you really have to tune on your senses and bring these feelings into the design, not your ego; it’s about the place, which has so many elements and stories that we can take from and translate into the design and the guest experience.

Il Pellicano has its story, La Posta Vecchia has its story, and the Mezzatorre has its own story. If you listen on an emotional and sensorial level to what each of these places has to say, to what was left in the walls, I think the walls can indeed talk.

The approach at Il Pellicano was based on my experience: I grew up there and I remember the feeling, I remember what it looked like, I remember how the people were. Growing up there was very formative and when I try to translate the original Il Pellicano vibe into the design.

The Mezzatorre has got so much personality, it’s whimsical and it’s dramatic. I thought of Luchino Visconti when designing it. Auteur, dilettante, connoisseur, acclaimed writer and director, he was charmed when he first visited Ischia in the 1940s and discovered an oasis practically untouched by the outside world. He eventually lived in Villa Colombaia, right next door to the Mezzatorre.

Rip & Tan: How would you define the aesthetic of each hotel under Pellicano’s umbrella? How do they celebrate and speak to Italian design? (continued)

Marie-Louise Sciò: La Posta Vecchia, which belonged to Jean-Paul Getty before my father bought it, was built in 1640 above an imperial Roman villa and for centuries was used by aristocratic families and their esteemed guests en route to Rome. Here again, the hotel has retained its original soul: along with Getty’s collection, the villa itself serves as a magnificent museum, exhibiting the remains of the ancient Roman villa, the mosaics, and various other artifacts. You can feel a masculine vibe, a cultured curation and you can also feel the energy of the Roman emperors who used to vacation there.

Overall, design is also about timelessness. It is not about following trends: we want our hotels to work for a 28-year-old or an 80-year-old.

Rip & Tan: What’s it like serving as the creative guide behind such distinct properties?

Marie-Louise Sciò: I am the CEO & Creative Director of the Pellicano Hotels Group, which includes our three hotels in Italy, Il Pellicano, La Posta Vecchia and the Mezzatorre, and ISSIMO, the digital extension of our Pellicano world.

I am between our three hotels, working with the team to make sure everything is on point for our guests, from the menus to the music, the boutiques, the cocktails. Everything. I am between the north and the south of Italy, looking for the best this country has to offer, which includes fashion, food, design, culture.

I am on the road discovering destinations, special places, artisans, meeting fabulous people. And I bring my experiences to the hotels and ISSIMO, to create a high-quality Italian lifestyle people can discover both offline and online.

Rip & Tan: Is there a particular element you love most about your job?

Marie-Louise Sciò: I love all of it! From the design to choosing the menus, to curating the music, to selecting the wines, to meeting the amazing people I meet… It would take ten lifetimes to meet all these different people from different backgrounds, countries, and lives, with different mindsets.

When you are in a hotel the world comes to your living room. You get to travel through other people, you get to see other cultures, by sitting in the same place. I met musicians, filmmakers, painters, financiers, a real mix. It’s great because it really gives you a glimpse into the world.

Rip & Tan:  How do your travels inform your design decisions?

Marie-Louise Sciò: I am very curious, and curiosity informs. The more I discover, the more I am inspired.

Rip & Tan: Tell us about your home in Rome. How does it reflect your personal style? What are a few of your favorite pieces in your home and why?  

Marie-Louise Sciò: I live in the center of Rome next to the Tiber, in a 15th-century palazzo. The apartment still has the original details of the building, and I’ve also kept the original painted coffered ceilings and parquet floor. In the same way I designed the hotels, I wanted my house to speak for itself and retain its identity.

I am a big fan of balanced composition and harmony so I try to implement that in any design, and avoid over-cluttering.

I have too many favorites to mention! Here are a few pieces I do love the cylindrical Rotazioni plum-and-azure rug by Patricia Urquiola from CC tapis; the De Padova sofas, the pair of black and white grid consoles by Superstudio; the Louis XVI bergères upholstered in leopard-print velvet; the crimson lacquer 1970s bar cabinet, and one of my latest purchases, the Bitossi Ceramiche Ettore Sottsass Vase Goblet.

Rip & Tan: What does living well mean to you?

Marie-Louise Sciò: Having balance with time for myself and loved ones.