“La Grande Bellezza” was created thanks to a collaboration between Starhotels, OMA-Osservatorio dei Mestieri d’Arte in Florence, the Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art and Gruppo Editoriale: an extraordinary initiative of contemporary patronage that makes Starhotels ambassador of the best of Italian hospitality, front and centre in the protection and promotion of Italy’s great patrimony of talent and know-how.

The project includes a series of expert actions that support the sector, with the aim of providing a patronage that is at once wide-reaching and effective:

- engaging skilled masters in meetings and events promoted by Starhotels in its own spaces;

- exhibiting works by the best artisans in some of the company’s hotels, showcasing the best of Italian high craftsmanship;

- creating lines of Starhotels-branded artisan products, made under the guidance of renowned designers and in collaboration with the best Italian artisan masters;

- the foundation of the bi-annual Starhotels Award, dedicated to artisans and the creation of works based the theme of hospitality;

- supporting and sponsoring specific initiatives and events tied to the world of high craftsmanship and its main players.

With the project “La Grande Bellezza”, Starhotels ambitiously aims to provide a voice, space and concrete opportunities to artisans and businesses working in Italian high craftsmanship, offering the players of Italy’s “Great Beauty” an extraordinary stage and a plethora of real opportunities not only in terms of visibility and communication but also work prospects: bringing together the priceless legacy of the enlightened patronage that protected Italian art and high craftsmanship and helped it thrive.

*Mosaico Travisanutto Atelier trainee at Spilimbergo © Susanna Pozzoli

Renovation © Antonio Casciani

Tessitura Bevilacqua, from 1875 in Venice - Courtesy Bevilacqua