B&B Casa Schlatter

The B&B feels almost like a museum. It belongs to the grandson of an old Florentine painter.

Such a beautiful place.

Alessandra welcomed us so warmly. Walking in past the gate and its fragrant wisteria felt like stepping into another time, with stories and art all around the house. The rooms are thoughtfully furnished, right down to the little details, and still have modern comforts like air conditioning and private bathrooms. We loved the peaceful inner garden, too. You're in the city, with parking nearby and public transport close at hand, and it's only minutes from the center and the Fiesole hills. Thanks, Ale. I'm already looking forward to coming back!

Today the house is in the hands of Alessandra, Adolfo's great-granddaughter, who restored it after years of neglect. She had been an antiques dealer and interior designer, and has brought the place back to life while making it possible for visitors to stay there, discover the history, see her great-grandfather's work, and remember him. Casa Schlatter is an elegant B&B in a distinctive historic villa in Florence. Its story centers on Carlo Adolfo Schlatter, a Swiss-born theosophical artist. He remains little known, and I want to help share both his work and his unusual life. The Schlatter family was an old Swiss family with noble roots going back to the 13th century. Around the mid-1800s, four of eight brothers moved to Italy. Adolpho's father died when he was young, so he grew up with his mother, Emilie. Art drew him from an early age, and Florence's artistic life, including the Macchiaioli, Decadentism, and Symbolism, shaped him. He also knew Arnold Böcklin, a fellow Swiss artist living in Florence, and was strongly influenced by him. His commitment to art put him at odds with his family and wife, who wanted him to pursue other things. He took his share of the inheritance and built a villa in Campo di Marte, which was then considered countryside. The house sat among greenery and, as his self-portrait shows, was the first building on Viale dei Mille. He lived simply there with Emma, devoting himself to painting and philosophy. Theosophy and art were central to his life. He wrote and illustrated his ideas, which appeared in publications of the time. Since he opposed the commercialization of "Art," he supported himself by selling copies of art to antique dealers and making designs for wrought iron. The two dragons on the roof are one example of that work. He didn't sell his own paintings, though. Almost all remain with the family, so with none on the market, his art has stayed largely unknown. His family recalls Emma appearing at the studio door to ask, "Adolfo, what shall I put on the table today? We have nothing to eat." Sometimes he'd take a small painting and go out to sell it. That's one glimpse of their life together in the house, which has passed through the generations to Alessandra.