Asumundo di Gisira — Sicily, Italy

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A hotel room with a bed, a desk, a rug, a wire frame chair, a foot shaped table, a crocodile floor ornament and two doors going out onto a balcony.
(Image credit: press)

Asmundo di Gisira, like many Italian palazzi, hides its true beauty behind an unassuming façade. Converted from an 18th-century noble residence, the Catanese hotel takes Sicilian’s legends as inspiration for its decor, but updates them in contemporary design language. 

Ragusa-based Studio GUM spent seven years on the restoration of the 400 sq m compound, just steps away from the landmark Fontana dell'Elefante. The renovation is subtle; original decorative mouldings, ceilings and other elements from the past are retained, while a new skylight in the courtyard and ensuite bathrooms focus on comfort. Local creatives have been involved. 

The public area celebrates the myth of Billonia with Sergio Fiorentino’s painting of the goddess and an enormous flamingo sculpture by Domenico Pellegrino is a reference to those that used to inhabit the Giardino Vincenzo Bellini's fountain; the Proserpina suite, one of the six generously spaced guest quarters, features hand-painted tiles by ceramist Alessandro Iudici. Together with the handpicked Italian design classics from the 1930s to the 1960s, they serve to bring the building's history forward.

A hallway with two rocking chairs, a wooden console, a potted cactus, blue patterned floor tiles, blue walls and a large sky light.

(Image credit: press)

A restaurant with round tables, black chairs, a black serving counter, round pendant lights, green walls and a wall painting of a seated man in a suite.

(Image credit: press)

A dining area with round tables, black chairs, art painted on the wall and white pressed ceilings.

(Image credit: press)

A sitting area with white chairs, a round glass topped coffee table, black floors, patterned curtains, a large doorway and an artistically painted ceiling.

(Image credit: press)

A beige bathroom with a white tub, a round floor lamp and a large door with a decorated frame.

(Image credit: press)

A hotel room with a bed, a desk, a rug, a wire frame chair, a foot shaped table, a crocodile floor ornament and two doors going out onto a balcony.

(Image credit: press)

INFORMATION

Website

ADDRESS

Via Gisira 40

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Yoko Choy

Yoko Choy is the China editor at Wallpaper* magazine, where she has contributed for over a decade. Her work has also been featured in numerous Chinese and international publications. As a creative and communications consultant, Yoko has worked with renowned institutions such as Art Basel and Beijing Design Week, as well as brands such as Hermès and Assouline. With dual bases in Hong Kong and Amsterdam, Yoko is an active participant in design awards judging panels and conferences, where she shares her mission of promoting cross-cultural exchange and translating insights from both the Eastern and Western worlds into a common creative language. Yoko is currently working on several exciting projects, including a sustainable lifestyle concept and a book on Chinese contemporary design.