Hotel Plaza E De Russie

Hotel Plaza E De Russie

On Viareggio's seaside promenade, in the Art Nouveau quarter that gave the town its early-twentieth-century glamour, Hotel Plaza e de Russie has stood since 1871 as the city's first hotel. Rainer Maria Rilke found inspiration on long walks through its woods, Puccini's love affair with Baroness Josephine von Stengel played out here and was the talk of the town, and Russian aristocrats fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution took refuge within these walls, leaving the "de Russie" in its name. That history now sits inside a fully renovated interior, 44 rooms and suites in warm, understated tones, two penthouses with private terraces facing the Tyrrhenian. What separates this address from the rest of Versilia's coastline is Lunasia, its Michelin-starred restaurant, run under a Relais & Chateaux affiliation that few hotels on this stretch of coast can claim. Beyond the restaurant, there's a gym, a conference hall for the business traveller who needs one, a playroom that keeps children occupied while adults linger over dinner, and a concierge desk staffed in English, Italian, German and French. Pets are welcome for a fee, parking is on site, and the beach sits close enough to reach on foot. Golf courses, cycling paths to Forte dei Marmi, and the marble quarries of Pietrasanta are all within easy reach, as are Lucca, Pisa and Florence for a day trip. This suits someone drawn to a place with a real past and a kitchen worth the detour, less so anyone wanting a quiet retreat away from a working, sociable stretch of promenade. Check in from 3pm, out by noon, and the sea is the first thing you notice, the last thing you leave. An Art Nouveau hotel from 1871 on Viareggio's promenade, with a Michelin-starred restaurant and Puccini among its past guests. Forty-four rooms, two sea-facing penthouses, and Relais & Chateaux service, steps from the beach and an easy drive from Lucca and Pisa.