Dellearti Design Hotel

Class: First

Style: Avantgarde

Rooms: 33

Delle Arti Design Hotel is a small hotel – 33 rooms – and a decidedly modern one, in a region heavy on history and tradition. Cremona, an hour south and east of Milan, is a small and wealthy city, once a Roman fortress, later the birthplace of Monteverdi and home to Stradivari and his workshop. Seemingly an unlikely place for a hotel fashionable enough to hold its own alongside any in Milan. But that’s exactly what Delle Arti is – beneath its authentic palazzo façade (a remnant of a previous incarnation) the design is absolutely cutting-edge. Liberal use of gold leaf seems the only nod to the traditionalism of the region, as everything else is sparse (black) furniture, dramatic lines, and theatrical lighting. In the rooms are such amenities as satellite television and high-speed internet, while just out the window? The highest medieval bell tower in Europe. The contrast is part of the charm, of course, as is the emphasis on the artistic. Delle Arti doubles as an exhibition space for contemporary artists, and a multimedia installation offers information on upcoming events and performances in Cremona. No matter what brings you to Cremona (though smart money is on the Museum Ala Ponzone) Delle Arti is worth being thankful for, as the region, unfortunately, is dominated by uninspired chain hotels. It is not just in contrast with these boring hotels that Delle Arti shines – it is, in itself, perhaps reason enough for a visit.