When Four Seasons hospitality company assumed management of the Gruppo Statuto property in 2020, San Domenico underwent a multimillion dollar makeover spearheaded by Italian women. Architect Valentina Pisani oversaw the entire renovation, adding a modern take to interiors with smoked mirrors, bronze details, and neutral tones with splashes of color in the public spaces (like coral red in the main hall), and classic contemporary furnishings in the guest rooms with marble baths. Historical art restoration specialist Rosaria Catania Cucchiara managed an all-female team that rehabilitated museum-quality artwork—medieval paintings, frescos, and statues—as well as period architectural details, such as columns, arcades, and vaulted ceilings. (Their work required the approval of the local council.) Contemporary artwork is also on display, including Georgian artist Sophie Koe’s installation made from Mount Etna ash.
Italian landscape architect Marco Bay created lush palm tree filled spaces in gardens where monks once cultivated medicinal plants. He also added a citrus grove—with 40 tree varieties that produce lemons, mandarins, grapefruits, and mini oranges—and sculptural succulents in terracotta vases in the front courtyard and a stone floor in one of two ancient cloistered courtyards where a 14th-century stone well is the focal point. For the hotel’s new elevated 69-foot infinity swimming pool, Bay chose tiles in shades of blue and green to match sea and sky.
