Palazzo von Pelsocz

INSIDE

Accommodation at Palazzo von Pelsocz is spread over three floors. The main entrance leads into the open-plan dining and living area, where guests are immediately introduced to the property’s architectural heritage, its generous volumes, and its soulful atmosphere. A sensitive restoration has, wherever possible, retained the building’s original features while at the same time discreetly adding thoughtful contemporary touches.

Dating back to the 17th century, Palazzo von Pelsocz is a wonderful example of how an aristocratic home might evolve over time. Its Slavonian oak wood-beamed ceilings, curvaceous gothic windows, stone-flagged floors, and original Venetian Murano glass chandeliers take us back hundreds of years, but the delightful motifs and handpainted fabrics that adorn many of the rooms are redolent of early 20th-century aesthetics. The latest additions – quality fixtures and fittings, glass designer vases, modern bathrooms, designer lighting and technology – have been inserted with subtlety, but also add a sense of 21st-century dynamism and flair.

The dining and living area sweeps all the way from the front door to the fully-equipped kitchen at the rear of the house, with an impressive open staircase on the left that rises to the upper floors. A pair of French doors open on the right to the al fresco dining terrace, although the hardwood circular table makes indoor dining hard to resist. In the living area, a pair of leather sofas and an armchair are gathered around an impressive fireplace, with intricate tapestry enlivening the ceiling, and an array of heirlooms adding character.

A door from the living area leads into the first bedroom, a king with French doors accessing the communal lower terrace and an ensuite with tile-topped vanity and a walk-in shower.

Proceeding back towards the entranceway, the staircase leads up to the first floor, which is home to two further bedrooms accessed directly from an upper landing. Both are romantic doubles with centrally positioned beds, bespoke antique cabinetry, and modern ensuite bathrooms with walk-in showers. The bedroom on the left side is the master, with its ornate fireplace, and French doors opening out onto the private upper terrace with beguiling views across the old town.

The accommodation at Palazzo von Pelsocz is completed by two more bedrooms on the second floor. The first is a wonderfully voluminous suite with lofty vaulted ceilings comprising four single beds and an ensuite shower room. The second is a twin bedroom with two single beds, a workspace, and again has an ensuite shower room.

OUTSIDE

Al fresco life at Palazzo von Pelsocz revolves around the property's two terraces.

The lower terrace is accessed from both the dining area and directly from the ground floor bedroom. This communal hub features a gas barbecue and a dining table for lazy al fresco lunches and long dinners together under the stars. At one corner is the hot tub, from which you can soak up tantalising views across Hvar’s terracotta rooftops across to its ancient fortress.

The first floor of the house boasts the upper terrace, the most panoramic of all. Accessed directly from the master bedroom, it is a generous and comfortably furnished space in which to lounge and admire the views of the surrounding town.