Cristina Paini
The Visionary and Her “Sisters”

You speak often about sisterhood and of empowering women. Did that play a big role in Palazzo Velabro?

Yes, but it was very organic. When I came to Rome, I didn’t really know anyone there. So I wanted to surround myself with people who shared similar experiences and ideals, but who also brought their own unique creative vision to our friendship—and then to the hotel, itself. Alessia Garibaldi, the architect who conceived the hotel’s interior design, is someone who I became acquainted with at a hospitality event in Milan; Maria Vittoria Baravelli is a curator who I met at a contemporary art event, also in Milan; and Giulia di Properzio is a jewelry designer who I met after coming to Rome. We each complement each other and support each other.

How are their perspectives reflected at the hotel?

What I love about Alessia is her very personal approach to interiors. Much more than just furniture, every object has life and a soul for her and brings value to a space, to every corner of the building. So it’s something that I can feel as well as see. And if I am offering something to someone, I have to absolutely love it. Maria, meanwhile, has brought a curator’s eye to the hotel, creating a space that’s filled with more than 100 books—poetry, novels, photography, and the like—all connected to the hotel’s location and reflecting its spirit. The result is a peaceful place where you also feel stimulated to learn, though not compelled to. Like me, Maria doesn’t want people to think that a space is too elite. As for Giulia, I immediately loved the style and taste of her jewelry boutique. Her patience and gentleness as a person and her warm and cozy ideas about life speak to me. She is really great, but at the same time curious and open to others. She has been mentioned in the Louis Vuitton Rome Guide—twice. So it’s not just me!

You said once that you want to give guests a grand tour experience of Rome. What is included in that?

Maybe I should rephrase that. I want to give guests an authentic Rome experience. I want them to see the city differently. Of course, some experiences are musts. For example, San Luigi dei Francesi, which is a church not far from Piazza Navona. It always overwhelms me how easy it is to enter and admire a great work by Caravaggio, a true milestone in art history. Or the Basílica de Santa Cecilia in Trastevere—it’s breathtaking and always worth another visit. But there are also the restaurants that make the city great, many off the beaten path. I love Da Enzo al 29, a simple, tucked-away eatery with sidewalk tables and typical Roman cuisine. Yes, the lines are long, but waiting is part of the experience. Or Rocco Ristorante, which is a place where artists and emerging film directors meet. Or Zia Restaurant, with its young chef who has already earned 1 Michelin star. I also like to steer guests to things that only locals do, like the granita crushed ice drink that you can get in the summer not far from the hotel. It’s made manually the way it used to be done in Rome in the 1950s and 1960s. So it’s a taste of the old and the original. I want you to leave Rome not as a tourist but as a resident.

Is this “resident experience” the reason why the hotel also has apartments?

Yes, exactly. In Rome, there is a huge development now in the luxury sector. But I don’t necessarily interpret luxury the way others might. We are not after bold or lavish looks, but rather something more sophisticated. Our rooms and apartments are very big, averaging around 50 square meters in size. That kind of space is a real luxury in Rome. And we have beautiful panoramas of the most ancient part of the city, where Rome was born; you can see the Arch of Janus, Roman Forum...the luxury then is the peace that you find in your space, and the quality and magnetism of that peace. You breathe differently because you are not contained in a small space. The view doesn’t squeeze you in. Also, there are no surrounding buildings. You can see the river, which is a living signature of Rome.

You went to New York for post-graduate work at Columbia University. How did your time in there affect you?

It was the best learning experience ever. In Italy, we are more theoretical; it’s where I studied Latin, Greek, philosophy, and history, which are fundamental for developing your thoughts. But when I was in America, I studied economics. So I leaped ahead 3,000 years from before Christ to contemporary times! What I liked most from those days was the idea that the sky is the limit. You sense that you can do whatever you want. You have to be committed. You have to make sacrifices, but you can reach for whatever it is you desire, that’s was my sensation. I was studying with people who had all different kinds of backgrounds—the public sector, multinationals, the military, even the FBI! The experience made me realize just how focused we are on our own world. New York was a beautiful experience; that city still is part of my soul.

Who is influencing you the most these days?

Right now, my dog Otello is influencing me. He’s a boxer. I’ve had him five years. He is the emperor of the house. He rules. I obey!

Any final thoughts?

Just this: I had a professor at Columbia who once asked our class, “What do you stand for?” For me, a hotel answers a lot of those questions. There is the business side of things, of course, but there are the people you manage and the messages and experiences that you impart to your guests. And there is also your relationship with the local community. When I approached the industry 20 years ago, hospitality was largely about economics. But gradually I have come to understand that there is another aspect to it, an even more important one: Because you are part of a human environment, you are part of a city, you can change that city for the better, if you want to. It takes time. But you can do it.