Reflected throughout our properties, Rocco Forte Hotels’ passion for art is one of the founding pillars of the brand. We’ve proven our commitment over the years, not least by supporting a number of events and exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, including last year’s architectural display, Renzo Piano: The Art of Making Buildings.
This year, we’re going a step further, offering our very own Rocco Forte Hotels Architecture Prize as part of the Summer Exhibition Architecture Prize at the Royal Academy of Arts. Our £5,000 prize will be awarded for “an outstanding work of architectural design” within this year’s theme: A Sustainable World, chosen by Spencer de Grey RA.
The focus of this year’s submissions is the ever-evolving relationship between creative design and an environmentally sustainable agenda. This is something de Grey himself has experience with—he was the overseer for The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, the world’s largest single-span glasshouse and home to many plant species threatened by human developments and climate change. The Royal Academy’s exhibition of shortlisted and award-winning submissions will be held in the Architecture Room.
Later this year, the environmental theme at the Royal Academy continues, with exhibition Eco-Visionaries set to open on 24th November 2019. Through a display of cutting-edge art, sculpture, installation, architectural models, digital media and more, it aims to investigate the way in which mankind can respond to and help combat the environmental changes transforming our planet.
The blooms of Munich’s Old Botanical Garden fill the city air with a sweet aroma. At the edge of this green lung sits The Charles Hotel, whose recently refreshed rooms capture the garden’s essence. Olga Polizzi, Director of Design at Rocco Forte Hotels, takes us through the finer details.
Paris is always a good idea. Except, perhaps, when it’s hosting the Olympic Summer Games, and the usual tourist throng looks set to multiply almost prohibitively. Of course, the Games are exciting, but if wading through crowds feels like a marathon effort, try a cultural relay around one of these stunning European cities instead.
As the gentle glow of each ornate chandelier begins to dim, a hush descends upon the audience before an all-consuming world of tragedy and triumph unfolds. Both exhilarating and deeply moving, a night at the opera has the distinct power to evoke emotion, while offering a unique insight into a perhaps unfamiliar city.
Journey through Europe’s symphony of unmissable opera houses, each steeped in history and grandeur.
