To observe how the creative class sheds the heavy, museum-dry gravity of Florence, look to where the volume swells. It is here that a dining room undergoes a complete sensory metamorphosis.
Tucked away at Via San Gallo 97, the ground floor of The Hoxton functions as an open architectural crossroads. This spatial manifesto stems directly from the brand’s counter-cultural origins. Founded in 2006 amidst the raw, industrial grit of East London’s Shoreditch, the brand pioneered the “open house” hotel format.
The core philosophy rejects the clinical, exclusionary nature of traditional premium hospitality. Instead, it designs framework to act as 24/7 communal hubs, neighborhood living rooms where international travelers and local creative classes are forced into a vibrant, unscripted collision.
The Ricasoli Paradox
The brand’s choice of location in Florence is an explicit extension of this community-drive manifesto. By internationally stepping outside the hyper-touristry, stagnant gridlock of the immediate Duomo hub, the hotel plants itself in a neighborhood that demands a deeper conversation. The property physically bridges a complex, multi-layered structural dialogue across four centuries of aesthetic philosophy. On one side stands a 16th-century Late-Renaissance palazzo, originally erected for the aristocratic Ricasoli family.
A meticulous, multi-year restoration led by AIME Studios has excavated original frescoes from 1611, vaulted stone arcades, and timber-beamed ceilings. The interior palette flirts with this lineage. It mirrors the tricolored pink, cream, and green marble of the mighty Duomo, whilst utilizing bold flame stitch patterns that reference historic Medici tailoring. Custom headboards elsewhere in the property mimic the precise geometry of the Santo Spirito façade, anchoring the physical design in local history.
Yet the true genius of the space lies in its deliberate friction. This aristocratic antiquity is directly juxtaposed against a striking, geometric 1980s structure conceived by the radical Italian design theorist and visionary Andrea Branzi. Branzini, a pioneer of the anti-bourgeois radical design movement and founder of Archi zoom, introduced timber-slatted façade and linear silhouettes that slice clean through the historical gravity of the Florentine block.
At the literal nexus of this stylish collision sits Alassio, a glass-roofed oasis engineered as a sensory portal to the carefree beach culture of Liguria. By flooding a landlocked, stone-dense city with an explicit holiday atmosphere, the venue completely bypasses stale conventions. There are no dark corners or historical reverence for its own sake. Instead, the soaring glass canopy and late-night pulse re-contextualize the past, proving that history is most electric when it is actively lived in.
Our evening initiated just steps from the drawing room at Enoteca Violetta, the hotel’s intimate wine bar, where we paused for pre-dinner drinks. The posture was relaxed, the executions flawless. An exhaustive wine collection and a highly focused cocktail menu that spans am extensive library of bitter-sweet Negroni profiles.
Surrounded by a glowing wood interior that hums with chic conversation, it provided a rich prelude before we transitioned to our prime table at Alassio. A coastal-inspired restaurant conceived as a nostalgic love-letter to the carefree beach culture of Liguria. The concept is explicitly engineered to inject an infectious holiday atmosphere into a landlocked city. Overhead sits a massive glass roof. Below, the bar counter drives a sharp acoustic baseline, setting a late-night tempo that effortlessly translates into dancing long after dark.
Front Row at the Culinary Theater
The kind courtesy of securing reservations, orchestrated by Eric, the curator from This Time Tomorrow where we were staying, surprised us with a front-row vantage point, seated at a premium table directly facing the theatrical expanse of the open kitchen window.
The positioning transforms dinner from a private event into a collaborative workshop. The room vibrates with an unforced collective momentum. Communal tables are populated by lively groups, glasses are infused with indigenous botanicals, and the energy reflects a refined, contemporary Italian social equilibrium.
Fronting this area, the kitchen brigade maneuvers around roaring wood-fired hearths. They orchestrate an expansive menu that systematically rejects landlocked limitations in favor of maritime vitality. Vintage posters and vibrant Riviera paintings line the walls, adding soft nostalgia to the otherwise raw energy of the open hearths.
The welcoming team greeted us with the kind of high-energy hosting that defines modern Italian style. We were introduced to the team, whose fluent charm set the tone for the right, framing of our table with a commanding view of the hearths where Chef Filippo’s culinary brigade handles the roaring wood-fired ovens.
The Tasting Block, Shared Plates
The menu is an exuberant tribute to the Italian coastline, designed around cultural philosophy that food is meant to be shared generously among friends. Specializing in fish and seafood where raw preparations and pristine catch play a prominent role.
The Marine Prelude, before the heat of the fire, the kitchen shines in its raw discipline, presenting an immaculate selection of sea-salted Crudo and Crustaceans that arrive glistening and bright.
The Primi, Interlude delivers a masterclass in textural precision.
Ravioli Girella, a coiled house-made pasta packing the delicate oils of red mullet.
Spaghetti Chitarra, balanced by deep purple prawns and a clean garlic emulsion.
Classic bowls of Trofie al Pesto with platters of Crudo.
Emerging from the charcoal heat of the hot ovens, the principal feature belongs to Sea Bream & Branzino, and intense heat immediately seals in the interior moisture.
The Dolce Finale, to cap off the feast, the pastry station delivers rich, sweet conclusions discussed widely among food writers. The kitchen balances standard regional traditions with contemporary icons, crafting an extraordinary silky, passion-fruit-kissed Basque Cheesecake and a generously layered traditional Tiramisu.
Behind the Hearth, Shared Applause
Yet the definitive pivot of the evening occurs outside standard dining room movements. An invitation past the partition into the active engine of the kitchen dissolves the anonymous boundary between production and consumption.
Standing alongside the culinary brigade for photographs, swapping stories, and sharing laughs breaks the clinical detachment of a typical evening out. It is pure electricity. Amid spontaneous applause and unscripted dialogue, the conceptual origin of the menu reveals itself.
After Dark, the Terrace Scene
As the dinner plates cleared, the room’s energy migrate outside to the open-air terrace courtyard. Flanked by lemon trees, potted olives and a cascading three-tiered fountain, this arresting enclave was completely taken over by a magnetic youthful vitality. Young locals and travelers crowded the striped outdoor bar, laughing and clinking glasses under the Tuscan night sky.
We finished the evening with a little fresh air completely absorbed in the cool breeze. Inside the lounge bar area transformed. The background hum sharpened into an upbeat. There is no stuffy pretense here, it is an unforced expression of absolute joy. A snapshot of how modern Italians discard the museum fatigue of the city and let the pulse of the Riviera carry them into the morning hours.
As we finally made our descent back onto the stone pavement of Via San Gallo, the high-energy hum of the terrace and the echo of the kitchen applause stayed with us. Alassio manages a rare, spectacular alchemy it takes the imposing, centuries-old frame of Florence and forces it to laugh, dance, and breath the salt air of a coastal escape. For one brilliant evening, the boundaries between host and guest vanished entirely.
We were left with an intoxicating reminder that the finest monuments are never built of marble or dry walls. They are captured in the flash of a camera alongside a laughing brigade. Built on the heat of a wood-fired hearth. Sustained by the timeless human urge to turn a simple dinner into a beautiful, defiant celebration of life.
“True hospitality is a shared spark, a spontaneous meeting of flavor, laughter, and the generous behind-the -scenes talent that anchors our gaze and inspires our story.”