In 10 years of publishing Dream of Italy and some 30 visits to this country, I've had the privilege of staying in many celebrated hotels. I'd never wept as I left one until I checked out of Palazzo Margherita.
My eyes welled up as I say goodbye to the new 9-suite hotel Francis Ford Coppola has opened in his ancestral hometown in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. Staying at the hotel felt like witnessing the result of one man's profound passion and soulful connection to the past. I have experienced a blurring of the lines between what was then and what is now.
Best known as the Academy Award-winning director of the "Godfather" trilogy and "Apocalypse Now," Coppola first came to the town of Bernalda in 1962. His grandfather, Agostino Coppola, left "Bernalda Bella" as he always called it, in 1904, never to return. From that first visit, when he spoke little Italian and knocked on doors to find his relatives, Coppola was regularly draw back to the place he calls "the real Italy."
It was his desire to share the authenticity he felt here that led Coppola to purchase Palazzo Margherita, originally built in 1892, and transform it into the most personal of the handful of hotels he owns through Coppola Resorts. In doing so, he has perhaps fulfilled the fantasy of every descendant of a poor immigrant from Italy's Mezzogiorno to return to this land and give something back.
While few people can afford a night at Palazzo Margherita, most can appreciate the sentiment and drive behind what might be considered one of Coppola's greatest works.
"Running a hotel is like making a movie; it's all about putting on a show," Coppola recently told Vogue. "You start with an idea, a theme--a leisure palazzo, for example--and then you pay attention to a million details. And whether you're staying in a hotel or watching a film, it's those details that provide the experience."
Step inside Palazzo Margherita with me and see some of the details that make it so special.
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Sofia Coppola's Suite
My favorite of Palazzo Margherita's suites is #4, where Sofia Coppola stays (Coppola's daughter, also an Academy Award-winning director). She and famed interior designer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Grange" target="_hplink">Jacques Grange</a> created the magical gold <em>trompe l’oeil</em> lining the walls and ceiling. It gives the sense of stepping into a light and airy <em>Belle Epoque</em> garden. (Photo by Tim Beddow)
Francis Ford Coppola's Suite
Suite #9, where Francis Ford Coppola and his wife stay, is a departure from the other suites in its Arab motif. Coppola designed the colorful, airy room it as an homage to his Tunisian grandmother. One wall is filled with French doors leading out to a huge terrace above the garden – truly the best view in the <em>palazzo</em>. (Photo by Tim Beddow)
Garden Where Sofia Coppola Was Married
Though now also a hotel, <em>Palazzo Margherita</em> is still a family home. Coppola's daughter, director <em>Sofia Coppola </em>was married in the garden (under this pergola) last August. She tied the knot with longtime love Thomas Mars, the front man for the band <em>Phoenix</em>. The mayor of the town of <em>Bernalda </em>officiated in front of 80 guests.
Cooking Lesson with Chef Filomena
Each guest at <em>Palazzo Margherita</em> gets a cooking lesson with Chef Filomena. (Coppola had been eating her food at a local <em>agriturismo </em>for years before he recruited her for his own hotel.) Here Filomena teaches me to make <em>orecchiette</em>, the ear-shaped pasta that is a favorite in <em><a href="http://www.dreamofitaly.com/public/Basilicata-Italy-Travel-Articles.cfm" target="_hplink">Basilicata</a></em>. It is harder than it looks but Filomena has great patience in teaching foreigners!
Movies in the Salon
With the flicks of a few switches, the chandelier goes up and the movie screen comes down in Palazzo Margherita's salon, turning it into a screening room. Coppola has personally selected 300 Italian movies and documentaries that are available on demand. I watched <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_stopped_at_eboli" target="_hplink">Christ Stopped at Eboli</a> (directed by <em>Francesco Rosi</em> in 1979) - the true story of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Levihttp://" target="_hplink"> Carlo Levi's exile</a> in <em>Basilicata</em>.
Agostino Coppola's Place of Honor
Francis Ford Coppola first came to the town of <em>Bernalda</em> in <em><a href="http://www.dreamofitaly.com/public/Basilicata-Italy-Travel-Articles.cfm" target="_hplink">Basilicata</a></em> some 50 years ago to see the place his grandfather <em>Agostino Coppola</em> had left about 50 years before that. After emigrating to America, Agostino Coppola invented the Vitaphone, the first device matching sound to images in movies. This corner of <em>Palazzo Margherita </em>is devoted to Coppola's grandfather.
Palmetta's Loft
The secret loft attached to suite #5 in Palazzo Margherita, likely belonged to <em>Palmetta</em>, the maid for the Margherita family during the early 20th century. Palmetta was rumored to have had a love affair with <em>Agostino Coppola </em>(Coppola's grandfather). before he left for America. Now the room houses Agostino's small wrought-iron bed.
Santa Maria Novella Products in Every Room
Each guest suite at <em>Palazzo Margherita</em> features full-size bath products and a candle from the famous perfumery and pharmacy <a href="http://www.smnovella.it/" target="_hplink"><em>Santa Maria Novella</em></a> in Florence. Coppola personally selected these items which guests are welcome to take home. Sitting atop of the candle is a matchbook from Sofia’s wedding, another touch that makes the<em> palazzo</em> feel like a home rather than a hotel.
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