QU tells the story of SANTA MARIA FORIS: The timeless charm of a boutique hotel in the heart of Ravenna
Project: Alvin Grassi
Lighting: QU
Photo credits: Bianca Venturelli
A tailored retreat blending Byzantine art, contemporary design, and bespoke hospitality.
Among the quiet, history-rich streets of Ravenna’s historic center, a structure comes to life that embodies the perfect balance between tradition and modernity: Santa Maria Foris, a refined and timeless boutique hotel, where every detail tells a story and every stay is designed as a bespoke experience.
The hotel takes its name from an ancient church dating back to 1261—a fragment of which is still visible above the entrance—and is the result of the expert restoration of a noble villa, now transformed into a charming retreat with 12 elegantly furnished rooms. Fine fabrics, designer objects, and an aesthetic meticulously crafted down to the smallest detail make each room unique and welcoming, like a small, private setting.
The interior design project, by architect Alvin Grassi, created spaces with a contemporary and elegant language, capable of engaging with the building’s historic soul. Clean lines, refined materials, and decorative accents create a coherent and refined aesthetic, where each element is part of a larger narrative.
Adding further character to the spaces is the lighting, a key element of the project, entirely curated by QU, an Italian excellence in the design and production of technical and decorative lighting fixtures. The lighting was custom-designed to enhance volumes, textures, and architectural features, offering a warm, discreet, and immersive visual experience.
Light does not add, but reveals. It does not dominate, but accompanies. This understated and coherent gesture lies the profound meaning of the project. Each element is designed to integrate with the materials, proportions, and geometries: a subtle yet crucial visual presence for perception.
In the interiors, light plays a silent protagonist. On the stairs, a continuous line accompanies the movement. The Tami Wall sconces, designed by Studio 63, embrace the verticality without interrupting the rhythm of the materials. In the bedrooms and corridors, lightweight light sources—recessed, wall-mounted, or freestanding—create intimate, never homogeneous atmospheres. Elements like Nausicaa Pop, with its dual lighting effect of upward reflection and floor projection, or Rocchetto Maxi O, recessed and concealed for targeted lighting, help precisely define the space. Duolì, designed by Aldo Parisotto, co-founder of Parisotto+Formenton Architetti, with its conical shape and aluminum body, adds a poetic touch to the furniture surfaces with a warm, intimate light.
In the dining room, two Brillo Castello elements introduce a more decisive yet consistent presence. With their modular structure and diffused light, they define the space and accompany different moments, from convivial to intimate.
At the heart of the building, an internal courtyard opens like a secret garden. A secluded, cool space where calm and intimacy reign. Here, too, the light follows the same principle: it doesn’t reveal everything, but silently accompanies the material, allowing the greenery and architecture to communicate without interference. In the garden, the presence of Brillo lamps—elegant, minimalist outdoor lighting fixtures—creates a suspended, almost magical atmosphere. Nestled among the plants, they blend into the landscape and enhance it through transparency and reflections, offering a dramatic, subtle lighting effect that enlivens the greenery without overwhelming it. Outside, the light continues with the same logic: measured, precise, integrated. The Bellaria P2 versions, with custom finishes to blend in with the plaster, illuminate facades and pathways with a minimal, functional touch. The thin rods and oriented beams allow for illumination without exposing the surroundings, maintaining continuity between interior and exterior, between solid and void.
The result is a sophisticated balance between atmosphere and functionality, where light enhances the architectural details and accompanies the guest experience in a discreet and enveloping way.
In recent months, Santa Maria Foris has further enriched its offering with new spaces designed for well-being and conviviality: an elegant cocktail bar overlooking the internal garden, a relaxing lounge area, and a small green Eden that invites relaxation, far from the frenetic pace of the city.
Hospitality is the true beating heart of the project: each stay is customizable thanks to Signature services ranging from private tours to discover Ravenna’s UNESCO heritage site, to cooking lessons with local Romagna azdore (housewives), mosaic workshops, personal training, and tastings with sommeliers.
Collaborations with top-notch brands, such as Ortigia, further enrich the experience, while the connection to the local area is also expressed through authentic gastronomic experiences, nature trails, and cultural itineraries.
Finally, Santa Maria Foris also lends itself as a venue for private and exclusive events: intimate weddings, private brunches, and elegant ceremonies. Thanks to selected partners, the hotel offers comprehensive support in organizing every detail—from catering to decoration, from logistics to technical service.
With a constant focus on sustainability and well-being, Santa Maria Foris promotes responsible hospitality: from the selection of local and genuine products for breakfast to respect for the environment, the local area, and the community.
QU’S CONTRIBUTION TO SANTA MARIA FORIS
BRILLO CASTELLO – Design Parisotto+Formenton Architetti
BRILLO CASTELLO è il primo chandelier firmato Qu. Disegnato da Parisotto + Formenton Architetti, ha un carattere estetico forte e peculiare grazie alla presenza scultorea e luminosa, al design strutturale raffinato e alla capacità di coniugare rigore architettonico e leggerezza visiva. La sua natura modulare consente di creare composizioni personalizzate, rendendolo perfetto per adattarsi con naturalezza a contesti diversi, dai progetti residenziali agli spazi legati all’hospitality, come lounge, hall, boutique hotel e ristoranti.
È dotato di 40 fonti LED ad alta potenza per un totale di 80W dimmerabili, che garantiscono un’illuminazione performante e regolabile, in grado di accompagnare con coerenza e stile i diversi momenti della giornata. Ogni punto luce è completato da un diffusore in Polimetilmetacrilato sabbiato, progettato per offrire una luce morbida, omogenea e visivamente confortevole.
BRILLO CASTELLO trasforma ogni ambiente in una scenografia luminosa d’effetto, diventando il vero protagonista dello spazio, capace di adattarsi a ogni situazione con discrezione, personalità e raffinatezza.
DUOLI’ – Design Parisotto+Formenton Architetti
Featuring an evocative design, the DUOLI’ lamp is inspired by the iconic Asian cone-shaped rice straw headdress: the pure, essential form is nothing more than what’s needed, and the slender stem recalls reeds in the wind.
Light and simple in the best sense of the word, its iconic silhouette casts a soft, focused light perfect for reading and working. Domestic yet perfect for a hospitality setting, it is a timeless object.
DUOLI’ features a lampshade and base made entirely of aluminum, joined by a thin, partially curved stem. It is available with an asymmetrical base and a clamp for attaching to a worktop.
Available in Black, White, Sage Green, Fierce Green, Night Blue, Ancient Brick, and Silver Grey finishes, DUOLI’ features a 160 mm diameter lampshade and is 435 mm tall for the table lamp and 410 mm for the clamp lamp. Like all QU products, DUOLI’ can be customized in terms of finishes on request for tailor-made projects.
BRILLO
Suppleness and evocative shapes, minimal transparency and soft light: there’s no single way to define BRILLO.
A lighting fixture that comes from nature and discreetly returns to it thanks to the choice between two diffuser heights (80 mm and 130 mm) and four different rods (1657 mm, 1357 mm, 1057 mm, 757 mm).
TAMI WALL – Design by Studio 63
TAMI WALL is the natural evolution of the Studio 63 collection: a 900 mm wall-mounted light fixture, available in multiple finishes and with an integrated power supply.
Thanks to its discreet and elegant light, TAMI WALL is ideal for illuminating hospitality spaces, creating welcoming and refined atmospheres without invasiveness. The essential design integrates with any architectural context, while the diffused light emission on the surfaces enhances walls and material details with a soft and contemporary effect.
In the photo, TAMI WALL illuminates a minimalist setting with simplicity and balance, interacting with textures and volumes in a silent yet distinctive way, confirming its ability to become a natural scenographic element.
NAUSICAA POP – Design Parisotto + Formenton Architetti
NAUSICAA POP, part of the Arcipelago collection designed by Parisotto + Formenton Architetti, brings elegant, rigorous, and contemporary lighting to hospitality, inspired by the nautical world and its essential language.
This recessed or semi-recessed wall lamp combines two light beams—one directed toward the floor and one tilted upward for indirect light—creating soft, welcoming atmospheres, ideal for common areas, corridors, guest rooms, and wellness areas. Its compact, elliptical design allows it to discreetly integrate into any project, enhancing spaces with a focused light that guides, accompanies, and decorates without being intrusive.
Easy to install on plasterboard or masonry using dedicated accessories, NAUSICAA POP is also available in a dual-beam version, with efficient 2W LED sources, ensuring energy savings and visual comfort for hotels seeking to offer their guests a welcoming experience with meticulous attention to detail.
BELLARIA P2 – Design Filippo Gastone Scheggi
BELLARIA P2, an evolution of the series designed by Filippo Gastone Scheggi, combines minimalist elegance and technical precision in a compact and efficient solution, perfect for hospitality.
Featuring two 26 mm light fixtures mounted on rods of different lengths and secured to the ceiling with an oval canopy, BELLARIA P2 offers up to 340° rotation thanks to a proprietary, high-precision joint, ensuring maximum freedom in directing the light beam. With just 12W total power and a discreet design, it is ideal for creating warm and welcoming atmospheres, shaping light to enhance works of art, architectural details, or intimate corners in rooms, lounges, corridors, and common areas.
BELLARIA P2 transforms light into a narrative element, helping define the guest experience through precise and sophisticated lighting that combines functionality and emotion with natural elegance.