An elegant residence created as a feast for the eyes, where the ‘common spaces’ – including the elegant reception lounge – feel like rooms in a private home. Walls are deep Pompeiian red – a nod both to the favourite wall paint of the Romans and to the traditional grey, cream and oxblood encaustic tiles salvaged from the Aeolian islands and used throughout the hotel. The heart of the hotel, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World group, is the salone, opening onto a terrace overlooking the Duomo, with slate-blue velvet drapes lined with tangerine silk (very Michelangelo), sofas upholstered in linen, a Venetian glass chandelier, a beautifully lit cabinet of glassware, and, on the walls, a series of 19th-century nudes, and prints and casts of Classical sculpture.

Coffee tables are strewn with art books – all of them linked in some way to the inspiration behind the décor – perfect for leafing through as you sip a cocktail. A couple of steps up from here is the breakfast room, with another terrace, a light-catching collection of cranberry glass, and tabletops customised with Classical equine prints. Downstairs an utterly delightful small room decorated on a botanical theme overlooks a small courtyard garden with a plunge pool and honesty bar.