Projects
Palm trees on the horizon
Roberta Valli
Stefano Pinci
FLORIM
2019
The word “Sicily” conjures up images of the sun and sea, of outstanding food and wine and the island’s unique cultural heritage. These associations can be summed up in the two words “Mediterranean summer”, a concept that is perfectly embodied by the Himera Beach Club Resort.
The resort enjoys a strategic location just 16 kilometres from the splendid town of Cefalù and a short walk from the beach of Campofelice di Roccella. Built in a typical Mediterranean style, the property is delimited by tall palm trees and a long golden sandy beach. Guests also have access to a fully equipped swimming pool, a lush garden and an outdoor amphitheatre.
Purchased in July 2018 by Aeroviaggi, Sicily’s first tour operator, for a total investment of approximately 12 million euros (covering both the purchase and the renovation project), the complex extends over three floors and has 149 rooms capable of sleeping 400 guests.
The Himera Beach Club was opened in April 2019 and has been successfully transformed by Aeroviaggi into a showcase of excellence for Sicilian tourism. The interiors stand out for their elegant and modern yet relaxed style with frequent references to the Mediterranean tradition.
At the entrance, two large terracotta vases and hanging wicker baskets immediately create a summery atmosphere.
The relaxed Mediterranean ambience continues in the lobby, where designer armchairs, lamps and sofas stand side-by-side with other ethnic Sicilian style elements, such as niches housing ceramic Moor’s heads juxtaposed with lime green carpets and gilded standing lamps. The style is reminiscent of the hotels designed by Gio Ponti, where traditional references blend harmoniously with contemporary features.
Ceramic tiles from Floor Gres play an important role in highlighting the accent elements in the various rooms. For example, the Stontech/4.0 collection in golden sand tones was chosen for the lobby floor, where its minimalist look fits in perfectly with ethnic-style furnishings and highlights the wall coverings that evoke lush vertical vegetation or brightly coloured traditional majolica tiles with distinctive arabesque patterns.
The gentle, understated elegance that permeates the lobby and lounge areas continues in the guest rooms and bathrooms, where the Industrial/ series concrete-effect floor tiles were chosen in Taupe and Ivory shades, helping to create a meditative, relaxing atmosphere.
For the swimming pool tiling, the designers chose the natural, textural appeal of roughly hewn quartzite recreated in the Walks/1.0 collection. This material coordinates delightfully with the decking of the large solarium and above all combines the beauty of natural details with the versatility, practicality and high technical performance of porcelain, most importantly in this case its high slip resistance.
Floor Gres, Industrial/
porcelain stoneware
30x60, 60x60 cm
Ivory , Taupe
Water absorpion (ISO 10545-3): 0,08%
Chemical resistance (ISO 10545-13): UA
Resistance to deep abrasion (ISO 10545-6): 140
Stain resistance (ISO 10545-14): compliant
Frost resistance (ISO 10545-12): compliant
Modulus of rupture and breaking strength (ISO 10545-4): 50 N/mm2
Slip resistance (DIN 51130): R9 SOFT, R10 NATURALE, R11 BOCCIARDATA
Thermal shock resistance (ISO 10545-9): compliant
ECOLABEL
LEED
ISO 14001