Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria opens art collection to guided tours
To mark its 60th anniversary, the Rome Cavalieri, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel, is providing guided tours of its vast private art collection. Established in 1963 as the Cavalieri Hilton by Conrad Hilton, the hotel showcases architecture designed by Ugo Luccichenti and interiors crafted by Franco Albini. The impressive collection, gathered by Angelo Guido Terruzzi (1929–2009), boasts over 4,000 pieces spanning the 16th to 20th centuries, featuring renowned artists such as Canaletto, Tiepolo, and Warhol. Approximately 1,000 artworks are exhibited throughout the hotel, including a Tiepolo triptych and Warhol's Dollar Sign series. Terruzzi also possessed French Louis XV furniture and had plans for a museum at Villa Regina Margherita, which was left unfinished in 2014. Reservations are needed for tours.
Key facts
- Hotel Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria opened in 1963 as Cavalieri Hilton, inaugurated by Conrad Hilton.
- Architecture by Ugo Luccichenti, reinforced concrete by Pier Luigi Nervi, interiors by Franco Albini.
- Art collection assembled by Angelo Guido Terruzzi, 'nickel king' and collector of over 4,000 works.
- Collection spans 16th to 20th centuries, including Canaletto, Tiepolo, Kandinsky, de Chirico, Schifano, Warhol.
- About 1,000 works displayed in hotel common areas and suites.
- Highlights: Tiepolo triptych from 1742, Giuseppe Zais landscapes, Flemish tapestries, Nureyev costumes, Warhol Dollar Sign series.
- Terruzzi nearly opened a museum in Villa Regina Margherita, Bordighera, abandoned in 2014.
- Guided tours available by reservation with an art expert.
Entities
Artists
- Angelo Guido Terruzzi
- Ugo Luccichenti
- Pier Luigi Nervi
- Franco Albini
- Conrad Hilton
- Giambattista Tiepolo
- Giuseppe Zais
- Canaletto
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Giorgio de Chirico
- Mario Schifano
- Andy Warhol
- Berthel Thorvaldsen
- Rudolf Nureyev
- Karl Lagerfeld
- Vittorio Sgarbi
- Napoleon II
- Margherita di Savoia
- François Pinault
Institutions
- Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria Hotel
- Cavalieri Hilton
- Waldorf Astoria
- Hilton
- Sotheby's
- Fondazione Terruzzi
- Palazzo Reale di Milano
- Palazzo Grassi
- Palazzo Valmarana
- Palazzo Sandi
- Villa Regina Margherita
- Comune di Bordighera
- Artribune
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Monte Mario
- Via Francigena
- Riserva Naturale di Monte Mario
- Milan
- Bordighera
- Venice
- Vicenza
- Paris
- Cupola di San Pietro