When the Ferragamo family bought the Hotel Lungarno in Florence in 1995, it raised a few eyebrows. What could a family that was famous for making shoes possibly know about running a hotel?
Quite a lot, it turned out.
Thanks to the footwear empire founded by patriarch Salvatore Ferragamo – who made shoes for Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Audrey Hepburn – the family instincts were already finely tuned to the demands of the wealthy and well-travelled.
To renovate the rundown hotel, Salvatore's son Leonardo hired architect Michele Bonan, who transformed the shabby building – once affectionately described as the “grande dame of hotels” by Lungarno Collection chief executive Valeriano Antonioli – into a space that was chic, yet as comfortable as a family home.
When the hotel reopened, it caused quite a commotion. “It was the first time a fashion family renovated and was managing a hotel. It was very glamorous,” says Antonioli.
It also marked the start of what is now a family-run hotel empire called the Lungarno Collection. It consists of four hotels in Florence situated around the Ponte Vecchio, one in Rome that opened in 2006 and, most recently, one in Milan. With two properties under the Lungarno name, and four in the Portrait portfolio, each caters to a slightly different audience.
For example, the Portrait Rome is aimed at a younger Macbook crowd and Mark Zuckerberg gave his seal of approval in 2012 when he spent his honeymoon there.
With an eye to the city's fashion crowd, Portrait Milano was a decade in the making and the most ambitious project to date. “I found the building in 2013," says Antonioli. "The building is 500 years old, the second largest, and oldest seminary of the church in the world.”
In the middle of Milan's fashion district, the airy 16th-century seminary was brimming with potential, yet was owned by the church that consistently shut down all offers for its properties.
“During the past decades, every hotel brand has requested to restore a church building, and the church said no. And this is what they told me,” he says.
It took a further two years to be given the go-ahead – plus further delays because of the pandemic – but in December last year, the baroque doors on Corso Venezia 11 opened.
Calling on Bonan to once again work his magic, the result is 73 languid rooms, from a tidy studio apartment to a spacious three-bedroom royal suite, all overlooking the central square. The only open square in the fashion area of the city, it has recently been named a piazza by the Milanese mayor and is open to everyone. “We wanted it to be inclusive for everyone who lives, works and visits the neighbourhood," Antonioli says.
Now called the Piazza del Quadrilatero, the 2,923-square-metre space is edged with restaurants and bars, with more promised on the way.
With fashion and furniture events that dominate the Milanese calendar firmly in mind, Antonioli has ambitious plans for the piazza. It has already hosted an event during Salone di Mobile that had 15,000 visitors in a day. There was also the anticipated debut of new Ferragamo creative director Maximilian Davis, who during Milan Fashion Week in February, filled the square of the then-unfinished hotel with red sand in a nod to the scarlet shoes the founder made for Marilyn Monroe.
The new hotel has an underground car park that can accommodate 100 cars, plus a secret elevator to whisk owners straight to the hotel, which is ideal for those who value privacy.
Of course, anyone who has visited the Il Borro Tuscan Bistro Dubai will already be familiar with the Ferragamo notion of hospitality. An offshoot of the Il Borro in Tuscany that sits on the family estate, both follow the same farm-to-table approach, and both share a relaxed, unstuffy air with a focus on good food and discreet service.
The ethos across the group, Antonioli explains, is to fit the experience to each guest. The original Lungarno Hotel has been recently refreshed and remains a favourite with American visitors, which he puts down to the unique art collection that adorns the walls.
“The previous family put together this collection of 500 pieces, and these are in the bedrooms," Antonioli says. "As we have 66 bedrooms and 500 drawings, we have rooms with up to 10 original artworks on the walls.”
He gives another example of a couple who recently arrived at one of the Florentine properties to celebrate a 60th birthday. To mark the occasion, the guest contacted the hotel to ask if her husband could play the organ in a nearby church as it was his life’s dream. The hotel duly reached out to the Basilica San Miniato al Monte, where he was invited to play as a birthday treat.
“Because the organist recognised his talent, he told the organist of Duomo, and this gentleman played at San Miniato al Monte and the Duomo in two days," says Antonioli. "Voila! This is what the Portrait does, we match the city with the guest and make dreams come true.”
The hotel also has guests who are lured by the romantic ambience and end up proposing, or even getting married, on its grounds.
“We have had people check in at the Portrait, not knowing they will end up getting married there. It's one thing to go to Vegas and get married, it’s another to go on vacation to Portrait Firenze and end up getting married," says Antonioli.
For anyone thinking of popping the question, he suggests the Florentine properties overlooking the River Arno.
“If you want to declare love to someone, or renew your love, on an evening when the sun is setting and the bridge glows orange, it's unbelievable,” he says.
Having held impromptu weddings with staff as witnesses, he explains how nothing is impossible. “Everything is personal," he says. "We can run the New York City Marathon with you, or we can be the best man at your wedding.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
The specs: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Price, base: Dh198,300
Engine: 2.0L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 280hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
more from Janine di Giovanni
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
