Hotel of the Week: Tuscany’s La Roqqa Fuses Seaside Glamour with Retro Flair

La Roqqa—named after the neighboring medieval fortress called La Rocca—was once a three-star hotel until Sweden’s Jonsson family transformed it into a glitzy five-star retreat. The family enlisted Milanese design studio Palomba Serafini Associati to dream up a chic and sophisticated design for the hotel, where contemporary Italian design lives in harmony with 1960s-inspired retro splashes, all while paying homage to the beauty of the region.

The hotel has 55 rooms, including six suites; two restaurants; a rooftop bar; and a Technogym-outfitted fitness center. While there is no pool, the hotel makes up for it with its brand-new nearby beach club, called Isolotto Beach Club, perched seaside on Porto Ercole’s only sandy beach. Each room, whether it’s sea-facing or garden-facing, has a charming terrace.

Nestled on the hilltop overlooking the marina, La Roqqa is instantly recognizable for its terracotta-hued façade that the designers refer to as terra di siena. Nature served as important inspiration for the suite of colors found throughout the hotel: the reddish terra di siena hue evokes the shade of Porto Ercole’s buildings and rooftops, while blue represents the sea, and green is inspired by the lush vegetation throughout the mountainous island.

The hotel feels reminiscent of a design gallery from the moment guests walk in the lobby. The focal point here is a winding and stark-white sculptural staircase that leads to the lofted second floor, complete with a double-height art installation that gracefully drapes through the center of the staircase. Incorporating iconic vintage pieces from the 1960s and ’70s, as well as contemporary Italian designers, was important for Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba, co-founders of their namesake design and architecture studio.

There are several works that draw the eye, among them the inimitable Up chair by late Italian design maestro Gaetano Pesce (created in 1969), which sits to the left of the lobby staircase. Seating areas on the ground floor feature stunning pieces including curved sofas by B&B Italia and supple leather lounge chairs by Cassina. Meanwhile, the second floor (which houses the chilled-out Mezzanine Restaurant) has a dramatic Cappellini armchair in an eye-popping neon orange.

However, to anchor the hotel in the Porto Ercole community and provide a sense of place, there is a gallery-like display in the lobby of purchasable ceramics from local Italian artisans including Michele Fabbricatore, Terry Davies, Claire Lune by Chiara Della Santina, Poggi Ugo, Raoul Maria de Pesters, and Samantha Passaniti. Other pieces throughout the hotel are from Flos, Coren, Serge Mouille, Pedrali, Fontana Arte, Artemide, Hay, Vincent Sheppard, and others.

Serafini and Palomba worked closely with the Jonsson family to recall la dolce vita of Italy in the 1960s, one of the country’s most important decades in design. Elements that recall this period also include custom terrazzo flooring throughout the common areas and individual accommodations. The monochromatic rooms and suites are located on the second, third, and fourth floors, with each level featuring a different color palette: terra di siena, soft sea green, and the last in a blue hue. The circular mirrors double as TVs, and there are delightfully no phones or unnecessary accouterments apart from a Nespresso machine and a sleek, built-in faucet for filtered water. Sustainability is a major focus and initiatives include being plastic-free and farming their own produce.

Finally, the rooftop restaurant and lounge area is a literal (and figurative) high point, with checkered tables and custom navy chairs from Talenti, as well as and bespoke tables from Ceramiche Lorenzon.

Minimalist yet textural design is the name of the game at La Roqqa, and Palomba and Serafini managed to strike the perfect balance between contemporary design and a warm, inviting environment you’ll never want to leave.