What was once the HQ of the largest communist party in the Western world is being converted into a luxury hotel.
The elegant building, close to the Capitoline Hill in Rome, was bought by the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1946. It was the party’s home in the post-war years, when it enjoyed the support of more than 2m members and could call on tens of thousands of armed men in the event of a military coup.
Features including an entrance hall designed by the sculptor Giò Pomodoro, a bust of the party leader Antonio Gramsci, and a cabinet containing a flag of the Paris Commune will be retained while the rest of the building is converted into a 70-room, five-star hotel with rooftop restaurant.
