Bygone Eras

There is beauty that renders us speechless and beauty that causes man to effervesce with praise and joy. Sicily is born of the latter, with odes to its splendour spilling freely from the mouths of the world’s finest minds. To Truman Capote it was “more beautiful than any woman”. For Oscar Wilde, its capital Palermo was “the most beautifully situated town in the world”. Through the course of history, it has been occupied by Greeks, Romans, Carthaginians, Byzantines, Normans, Swabians, Arabs and Spaniards. It’s the homeland of Greek mythology, the crossroads of civilisation, with Palermo — a city of treasures — at its heart.

Grand Hotel Villa Igiea Palermo began life as the private palace of the wealthy industrialist Florio family, but, by 1899, the family had decided to share their coastal gem with the nobility of Europe, commissioning architect Ernesto Basile to give the property a timely and fashionable Belle Epoque makeover. With this, the gem only shined brighter and as the 20th century rolled on, Greta Garbo, Sophia Loren, Prince Rainier of Monaco, Paul Newman, Maria Callas and more found themselves bewitched by this Sicilian paradise.

Today the hotel’s 121 Art Nouveau rooms exude luxury and elegance, and guests bathing in the swimming pool overlooking the bay or feasting on a meal crafted by head chef Carmelo Trentacosti quickly come to understand why Sicily has long been considered the home of the Gods.

“Prague never lets you go... this dear little mother has sharp claws.” Of all the statements put forth by Prague’s most prominent son, Franz Kafka, this is perhaps one with the most enduring resonance. While Kafka spoke of people, the city clings on to its past with equal avidity. Founded in the 9th century, the city has over the past millennium fortified itself with architectural landmarks, growing with a forthright temerity; its castle was founded in 870, its Gothic cathedral in 1344 and its legendary astronomical clock in 1410. It is within the city’s beating heart, its medieval Old Town, where Hotel Century Old Town Prague can be found.

The first thing you’ll notice is the imposing palatial façade, erected by architect Alfons Wertmuller in the beautiful 19th century Neo-Baroque fashion. Wertmuller created three landmark buildings in the city, of which the hotel is just one — the other two being the city’s State Opera House and the National Theatre.

From 1908 to 1922, Kafka himself worked in the property now occupied by the hotel as an insurance clerk . During this period his writing was relegated to a part-time hobby, but with a suite dedicated to his life and literary heritage, Century Old Town affords his literary legacy the credence he was unable to receive in his own lifetime.