THE ART OF ENJOYING MAASTRICHT ITALIAN STYLE;
FROM THE ROMAN PERIOD TO THE RENAISSANCE
Although only two hours from my home town, a trip to Maastricht feels like a trip to another country.
The gently rolling hills, the many ancient castles and the Burgundian lifestyle seem to suit me
like a comfortable Italian leather Baxter sofa.
In between all my other business trips, I try to go to Maastricht every year. Especially when Tefaf is in town!
And just like the tasty ten-year partnership between Maastricht and Tefaf, which was documented
by contract in December 2017, VITA DI LUSSO also provides you some tasty, Italian touch Art,
Architecture & Design in this brand new blog. Enjoy!
The finest hotels
In order to guide you through this beautiful city during the Tefaf, I personally did some field work during the last few days, which certainly wasn’t a punishment! I started selecting some designish places to stay and in the top 10 of Maastricht’s finest hotels, I found two total different hotel experiences.
The first one is Botticelli, which is a small and romantic hotel inspired by the style of the Italian Renaissance. In the early 18th century it was built as a wine house, including a large warehouse. Nowadays, it is a typical Italian villa hotel, with a romantic courtyard. The authentic elements, like the beautiful wooden staircase, the fireplaces and the painted ceilings were perfectly restored during the renovation.
The other one is Kruisherenhotel, a five-star hotel from the Oostwegel Collection. Here, you will experience design between heaven and earth, since Kruisherenhotel is established in a 15th century gothic church and adventitious monastery. No less a person than Philippe Starck himself added a modern Italian touch, whereby it was awarded with the Dutch Hotel Award 2017.
Architectural food
So, assuming you slept like a rose in one of these hotels, I can imagine you would like to go shopping before you will seriously spend all your well-earned money at Tefaf:- ). Then please, do visit the Dominicanen Bookstore. It is established in the Dominicanen church, where you will not only be dazzled by thousands of books, but also by its architecture. Don’t forget to enjoy a panini and cappuccino before you buy your favourite books!
Via the famous Vrijthof with the monumental Saint Jans church, you definitely should check out the Stokstraat, where the most expensive fashion stores are located. With lots of historical buildings, this is also the oldest street of Maastricht. I could not withhold myself from buying a brown leather Piquadro backpack. So convenient for business trips like these!
But to really survive this 360-Tefaf-city trip, you will of course need some good drinks & bites. Not a coincidence that Brandsøn just opened its doors. Just around the corner of the Stokstraat, situated along the Maas with a view on the Roman bridge and ‘interiorated’ by Dutch Interior Designer Robert Kolenik, this is a true hotspot! They have this delicious panzanella for lunch and when you go for an aperitivo as well, let me just recommend you the Brandsøn Plate with prosciutto and a nice glass of Italian wine.
Just as enthusiastic as me? Then let’s meet in Maastricht this week, at the art fair Tefaf or at some Italian related location in the city centre!
