20 August 2026
Florence
She was called the Étoile, the star par excellence, Carla Fracci. Part of her light has remained to shine in the Florence she loved and defended so much, as an acquired citizen and as councillor for culture in the province of Florence. And if Florence has enchanted a universal woman like Fracci, and her shows have taken her to dance in the most beautiful theatres and cities in the world, then surely Florence will enchant you too, especially if you stay in the heart of the city, with all the services and hospitality that a boutique hotel like Palazzo Castri has always offered its guests.
Triumphs, poetry, love
In 1981, the New York Times called her a prima ballerina. No longer a ballet star, she had already become an immortal icon of dance and gracefulness. Her way of dancing, the result of great physical commitment and technical and artistic precision, gave the public an idea of unreachable lightness.
A quote from the poem dedicated to her by Ada Merini was ad hoc: "You are as light as madness". Her friend Eugenio Montale also wrote about her in verse in a wish for her convalescence, "La danzatrice stanca", "Poi potrete rimettere le ali non più nubecola celeste ma terrestre".
Born in Milan in 1936, in 1958 she became prima ballerina at La Scala in Milan and from there she conquered the world dancing with that graceful lightness that made her unreachable.
- the London Festival Ballet
- the Royal Ballet
- the Stuttgart Ballet
- the Royal Swedish Ballet
But love brought her to Florence, a love of yesteryear as the magazines defined it, love for her husband. They met for the first time at the end of the 1950s, he was already a theatre director, she was 18 years old, their eyes met while she was doing exercises at the barre at La Scala in Milan, then they married in 1964. From that moment on, Florence became their refuge, between one triumph and another, with the decision to renovate a dilapidated farmhouse in San Casciano Val di Pesa.
Commitment to Florence
Her husband is Beppe Menegatti, a true Florentine. He certainly knew how to show Carla Fracci the beauties of a city through the eyes of passion and love for beauty and art and to transmit the Florentine spirit to her. In fact, the couple did not only experience the city as a good retreat from the spotlight but also took part in battles to make it more beautiful, ecological and liveable, such as their commitment against the electricity pylons that were defacing the Florentine Chianti landscape.
The long bond of affection with Florence and Tuscany has finally blossomed into a public relationship. Carla Fracci was in fact also an administrator: she was councillor for Culture in the Province of Florence and, together with her husband, she was the promoter of initiatives linked to the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Theatre. A city that she has defended to the hilt in terms of its cultural value and initiatives. She is famous for a joke she made against the then CEO of Fiat, Sergio Marchionne, who described Florence as a 'small, poor city', to which Fracci replied: “He is poor. Florence is a city bursting with culture and culture is necessary to live”.
Let's take a cue from this statement and say that a visit, or rather a stay in Florence is a must, because with its widespread art, events and museums, it is culture to be experienced.
At Palazzo Castri 1874 you will find an oasis in the heart of Florence from which to visit the city and a buen retiro where you can enjoy an intimate welcome. Choose the stay package that our Boutique hotel offers you, including a wellness programme at our Spa...you will just have to love Florence.
