Property

Mr Singh: Italy in the crosshairs after the Collegio alla Querce

The Indian tycoon has transformed the iconic property in Florence into a luxury hotel. The objective? "To create unique destinations, different from each other"

by Paola Dezza

25 August 2025

3' min read

A love for Africa, a focus on history and a passion for architecture. Analjit Singh has based the second phase of his life dedicated to nature, hospitality and well-being on these strengths.

After setting up the service conglomerate The Max group in India since 1985, ranging from insurance to real estate and senior living, he chose to start again in South Africa. He recently landed in Italy by acquiring an iconic property in Florence and transforming it into a luxury hotel. Hence the interest in our country, again in the hospitality sector, because in residential real estate: "You know India is great and we work a lot to build complexes with state-of-the-art facilities," he says in an exclusive interview with Il Sole 24 Ore.

"In 2010 my life changed," he continues, "I chose to move to South Africa and start a new adventure in the world of hospitality from here. A life today travelling between properties and new research.

"When I arrived, I bought the Klein Dassenberg farm in the Franschhoek Valley in the Western Cape, which was initially intended as a family home," he says. "I soon decided to turn it into a world-class hospitality and winemaking destination.

The Leeu Collection, which means lion in Afrikaner just like Singh, now includes a five-star premium property and two five-star boutique hotels located in the wine region of South Africa. Also part of the collection is Linthwaite House, a 36-room country retreat overlooking Windermere in the Lake District, England.

In Italy, Mr Singh has purchased the former Collegio alla Querce, with the backing of Unicredit, and turned it into an urban resort that marries the peculiarity of being immersed in greenery and being a stone's throw from the centre of Florence. Auberge ex Collegio alla Querce, managed as a facility by the American group owned by Roma patron Dan Friedkin, is an example of virtuous redevelopment that preserves the past while looking to the future.

"I immediately realised that the former Collegio could become a luxury hotel where lifestyle, wellness and good food could be concentrated. But above all to save a heritage of such beauty that had been closed and abandoned for years. My goal is to create unique destinations, different from each other, and so are our facilities. This is why we chose Auberge to manage Florence'. And the aim is to make the structure a real destination thanks to its location in the city but in the countryside with a swimming pool and spa. The college has been a cultural landmark for centuries. Restoring and reimagining a property of this magnitude required a delicate balance between preserving the heritage dating back to the 16th century and introducing contemporary luxury. And so it did in a natural and harmonious way.

Analijt Singh, who received the Padma Bhushan, the second highest civilian award conferred by the President of India, in 2011, is chairman of several listed Max Group companies - Max Financial Services, Max India and Max Ventures and Industries, as well as chairman of Max Life Insurance Company. He served on the board of Sofina NV/SA (Belgium) until March 2022 and was non-executive chairman of Vodafone India until August 2018.

After Florence, what other destination? 'I am very interested in your country,' he says, 'among European countries the one that offers the greatest variety of destinations with unique appeal. I am looking around, in no hurry, waiting for the right opportunity to become a welcoming place, like a home'. Where food unites the properties. "We look for it to be unique," he says.

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