Rome's Hotel Mediterraneo reopens after restoration, a time capsule of 1930s Art Déco

The Hotel Mediterraneo in Rome, a complete Art Déco work by architect Mario Loreti, has reopened after a major restoration. President Maurizio Bettoja of Bettoja Hotels recounts its history: built starting 1938 for the 1942 E42 exposition, it was the tallest building in the historic center at 11 floors and Italy's first with air conditioning. During WWII, Germans occupied it while Bettoja's grandfather hid Jews in empty rooms and ran a clandestine printing press for false documents. The hotel features original furnishings by Loreti, lighting by Fontana Arte and Venini, mosaics by Augusto Černigoj and Franco d'Urso, and intarsia by Achille Capizzano, whose preparatory drawings were recently discovered. The restoration included the Sala del Mosaico, a parchment map of the Mediterranean, and wooden intarsia. The hotel was protected by the Cultural Heritage Ministry in November 2019.