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MEET THE MAKER
Gabriele Salini from Palazzo Daniele
Palazzo Daniele is a hospitality project born by the combination of the vision of Italian entrepreneur Gabriele Salini, and Francesco Petrucci, the last descendent of Daniele’s family and owner of Palazzo Daniele.
The passions shared between the two friends and the similarities between their “homes” made this new story possible.
After the successful launch of his first hotel, G-rough in Rome, Gabriele Salini decided to expand his vision by creating the "GS Collection," an Italian hotel collection that merges art, design, history, and music.
This collection aims to reimagine Italian hospitality by honoring the distinctiveness and authenticity of each property. Each hotel in the collection serves as a unique "spot," characterized by its individual personality and a story that connects deeply with its city and surroundings.
We explore the renowned Palazzo Daniele and delve into the world of hospitality with this hospitality specialist.
Can you share three distinctive facts about yourselves that have influenced your journey with Palazzo Daniele?
Growing up in Rome as a proud 8th generation Roman, I have been surrounded by architecture, art, and design my entire life. I‘ve always been fascinated by how these three seemingly different concepts have the capability to bring people together. When entering the hospitality world, I made sure to base each GS Collection property off of these pillars.
Palazzo Daniele is certainly a special place where architecture, art and design are fundamental elements together with the best Italian hospitality
Could you briefly narrate the history and the inspiration behind the creation of Palazzo Daniele?
Palazzo Daniele was originally constructed in 1861, in the neoclassical style. and was formerly the winter home of the Daniele family, a group of aristocratic Neapolitans. Reshaped and reimagined by my hospitality portfolio, GS Collection, the property today melds a harmonious combination of sublime minimalism, 19th-century splendor, and contemporary art.
Your vision for interior design is both unique and inspiring. Could you elaborate on the philosophy that guides your aesthetic choices?
With a property like Palazzo Daniele, an aristocratic palazzo with such history and timeless presence here in Salento, there needs to be an artful nuance – a harmony – between the building’s 158-year-old past and its future as a hotel for the guests of today, creating a sense of “contemporary nostalgia”. We deviate from the term “hotel” as we feel it does not encapsulate all that our property has to offer. We are a hospitality concept rooted in guest experience, dedicated to exposing all travelers to the very best of Italian art, design, and gastronomy. Key to our vision are the uniting principles of localism and sense of community, creating environments that fully immerse guests and offer them unparalleled access to local Italian life – something that seems to be missing in most hotels today.
We'd love to hear about your collaboration with Ludovica + Roberto Palomba and how it has shaped the hotel
What I admire most about Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba’s style was the way that they were able to accentuate the charm within Palazzo Daniele while keeping the past intact. From a design standpoint, we were advised to “exalt the void”. This we would come to understand meant stripping back and exaggerating the grandeur of the place: monastically simple bedrooms highlighting vaulted ceilings, mirrored salons, and exposed walls.
Through Ludovica Serafini + Roberto Palomba’s vision of “exalting the void” mentioned above, we “freed” these spaces from their conventional functions, creating a dramatic canvas for the palazzo’s contemporary art collection. Palazzo Daniele now highlights the sanctity of absence that allows artists to create new works, a sort of macro-scale atelier.
The art collection within Palazzo Daniele is nothing short of remarkable. How did you go about curating such an eclectic mix?
Art is always a crucial component of any hotel that I take on. This is because I love art and working together with artists. I invite artists into our properties and ask them to be part of the creation of my concepts. The art collection within Palazzo Daniele is one that is modern by nature, and allows the architecture and art to function as a unit, constantly in conversation with one another. My friend and co-owner of Palazzo Daniele, Francesco Petrucci, is an art philanthropist and has been the art director of Capo d’Arte, an art show that takes place every summer inside the Palazzo walls. We are both avid art collectors but even more so, love the production phase, and wanted to continue to invite artists in, so we agreed that this event would continue to host different artists for residencies.Our art collection is a natural consequence of our common passion.
Mixing historical elements with modern design can be challenging. What is your approach to achieving such a harmonious blend?
What we aimed to do with Palazzo Daniele’s transformation is create a sense of “contemporary nostalgia” – blending centuries-old architecture and old-world luxury with a curated selection of contemporary artwork, avant-garde furniture, and one-of-one site-specific installations. Through restoring the palazzo's ornate frescos and original mosaic flooring (from the 19th century), we've been able to pay homage to the estate's storied Italian past while acknowledging the present and what's to come.
Everyone has a favourite nook or cranny in their space. Do you have a preferred spot within Palazzo Daniele?
The grand shower of the Royal Junior Suite, made by the Italian artist Andrea Sala, of course. A living art installation in which a rain shower falls from a 6-meter-high ceiling onto a basin; a perfect example of how art can become functional.
Is there an intriguing aspect of Palazzo Daniele that remains relatively unknown to the public?
The front and back access to the grand kitchen is very special: we reopened an old arcade which was walled at the beginning of the 20th century and created a concrete stair that leads to the pool area. All the steps are within the wall width, thus creating a special perspective of different lines. The back access to the kitchen, instead, is hidden by a 3 meter by 3 meter perforated black metal screen which allows the guests an intriguing see-through to all the activities of our cooks.
Within the hotel, is there an object that holds special significance for you? If so, could you share its story?
Some of my favorite pieces are the lightboxes by Simon d’Exea that serve as lighting in most of our suites. I am a great admirer of photography in general because it is a form of art that reminds me of my first love for architecture, and Simon lightboxes are a perfect combination between the two and functional design. I also like the black and white large scale pieces from South African artist Alexandra Karakashian as well as the very small colorful paintings by the Roman artist Giani Politi. Last pieces to be added to the collection are the incredible breathing vases / sculpture by Studio GGSV (French duo Gaelle Gabillet and Stephane Villard)
The Italian hospitality scene is rich and diverse. How does Palazzo Daniele contribute to and stand out within this landscape?
In the Italian market, we have old traditional hotels, international big chains, family-run small operators, Airbnb and B&Bs. The market is now evolving and there is a space for new players that can create a new market niche. It is important to be different, innovative, and with a clear, although brave, vision.
GS Collection (GSC) is more a concept than a collection, an Italian hospitality concept that takes place in private palazzos and houses with a familiar story to tell, with a strong personality behind it and a clear vision and a true connection with the local neighborhood. All of these elements are present in Palazzo Daniele and its sister hotel G-Rough in Rome, and represent the precise identity of our hotels.
Aside from its one-of-a-kind design scheme, the ethos behind my property is what makes Palazzo Daniele unique. We crafted this space to make visitors feel like intimate guests of a family palazzo with the credo “questa casa non è un albergo” ("this house is not a hotel”). Whether it's our unique open kitchen concept, guest experiences, or art program, Palazzo Daniele remains both individual and rare in the hospitality space.
In your opinion, what makes a great hotel?
For me, a great hotel is a truly authentic place, interesting because of its stories – places that are gates to the local community … A hotel is no longer a comfortable bed and a nice bathroom; it is still that in a way, but it must create a connection with the place you are visiting.
Design and location often go hand in hand. Could you recommend a favorite design destination in Puglia?
At both Palazzo Daniele and G-Rough, we actually give guests a map of “the owner’s tips”- a guide to neighboring restaurants, wineries, and shops that share a similar vision to ours. Gagliano del Capo, one of the many villages in the province of Salento, offers an endless journey of discovery.
Discover my guide of Puglia here!
Palazzo Daniele hosts a collection of beautiful home objects that guests admire. How does it feel knowing that visitors can now take a piece of this experience home with them through Maison Flâneur?
We are supporting the project of Cicileu, a young company that supports local artisans by often reinventing professions and productions at risk of extinction. We create a boutique of one of a kind objects now available here.
Is there a specific item from the hotel's collection featured on Maison Flâneur that you believe encapsulates the essence of Palazzo Daniele?
Palazzo Daniele is mostly a summer destination (even if I personally love the “off-season” spring and autumn visits), so most of the items reminds of summer and the sea: the colorful linen towels, swimsuits for men and women with our special nuance, the aluminum storage shells…