Palazzo Soave, Verona: the starred restaurant gets its hotel
A 15th-century palazzo on the old Roman cardo, already home to the Michelin-starred Iris, is set to open its suites in early 2027, giving Verona the serious small hotel it has long been missing.
Verona is one of those cities people love and rarely stay in. They come for an evening at the Arena, drink a spritz in Piazza delle Erbe, and drive on to Lake Garda or the Valpolicella, which always feels like a shame, because the old city is at its best in the early morning and late at night, when the day-trippers have gone. Part of the problem has been a shortage of hotels with real character, and Palazzo Soave, due to open its rooms in early 2027, looks set to change that.
A palace with Roman foundations
The building stands on what was once the cardo maximus, the main north to south street of Roman Verona, a short walk from Piazza delle Erbe, the Arena and the Roman gate of Porta Leoni. It was built in the 15th century for the Boldieri Malaspina family and still has its Gothic windows in red Verona marble. Over the centuries it passed through several families, ending with the Bottagisi in the 1800s, before being taken over by the provincial government for offices and then falling into neglect. The developer Bruno Soave and his family company bought it, and Studio Lucio Merlini has been restoring it to bring back its Renaissance and Baroque frescoes and its classical statuary alongside contemporary interiors.
The plan is for a five-star superior hotel of suites and apartments, with a cocktail bar, a spa and spaces open to the city as well as to guests. Room numbers and rates have not yet been announced.
Iris came first
The owners did something unusual and sensible here: they opened the restaurant before the hotel. Iris, named after the flower that is Verona's emblem, opened in the autumn of 2023 with its entrance on Via Leoni and has since earned a Michelin star. The chef is Giacomo Sacchetto, a Veronese born in 1985 who trained with Giancarlo Perbellini, at Le Calandre and with Norbert Niederkofler before running his own restaurant in the Lessinia hills.
His cooking is rooted in the produce of the Veneto, much of it grown for the restaurant on a partner farm, and there are three tasting menus, including one built around lake and river fish and vegetables from the garden. The cellar, set in basements where Roman remains were uncovered during the restoration, holds more than 650 wines, and I would expect a very good list of Amarone, Soave and Valpolicella from the small growers of the surrounding hills.
Having a starred restaurant already up and running gives the hotel something most new openings lack, which is a reputation that does not depend on a press release. It also means the kitchen will have had three years to settle before the first hotel guest arrives, which should show in the breakfasts.
Is Palazzo Soave for you?
For anyone who has always wanted to spend more than an afternoon in Verona, Palazzo Soave promises a beautiful base in the oldest part of the city, with dinner downstairs and the opera season on the doorstep. Book a table at Iris now if you want a taste of what is coming, and keep an eye out for the hotel's opening date, which has yet to be fixed beyond early next year.
The details
Palazzo Soave, Via Leoni, Verona. Hotel opening expected in early 2027. Iris Ristorante is open now. The hotel plans to add suites and apartments, a cocktail bar, and a spa. Verona Villafranca Airport is about a 20-minute drive. Rates on request.