The Barletta Group conquers the Hotel Diodoro in Taormina

The historic Hotel Villa Diodoro in Taormina, built in the late 19th century by Giuseppe and Isabella Bambara, among the first hospitality operators in the famous resort, is changing hands. The purchaser is the Barletta Group, active in the luxury hospitality sector that among other things holds a majority stake in Arsenale spa, a partnership created in September 2020 between ceo Paolo Barletta and Nicola Bulgari, which will begin a series of renovation works to turn Villa Diodoro into an ultra-luxury five-star hotel with 72 rooms and a wide range of complementary services and benefits for guests. An operation that will require a total investment of EUR 85 million between the sale of the property and the renovation work. The hotel is currently a 4-star property and its operational management will continue under the Bambara - De Luca family until the end of January 2025 when the restyling will begin.

"With this operation, carried out together with Paolo Barletta, an important page in the history of our family closes, but a new and exciting season opens in which our Group will continue its activities in Taormina, with the same commitment and passion as always, through the other hotels we own: the Hotel Caparena, the Hotel Isabella, the Grand Hotel San Pietro, and on Mount Etna, in Linguaglossa, the Tenuta Chiuse del Signore,' explains Isabella Bambara, managing director and president of the Gais Hotels Group, the company that owns the family's hotels. On our part, that of my husband, Sebastiano De Luca, and our children Sergio and Stefania, there is the awareness of having made the best choice for Taormina and its community, selecting a prestigious Italian group that will guarantee the continuity and enhancement of the Hotel Villa Diodoro. New challenges and new projects await us, our children and - I hope - our grandchildren, in the name of family tradition, with an open eye to the future".

The acquisition by the Barletta Group aims to enhance what are among the best assets in the national hospitality industry. The Group wants to strengthen its presence in the luxury segment through the in-house company Arsenale and the two divisions of "Hospitality Hotels and Resorts" and "Travel" with the "La Dolce Vita Orient Express" project. "I would like to thank the family and the Gais Hotels Group, who over the years have taken care of Villa Diodoro's assets," remarks Paolo Barletta, CEO of the Barletta Group. "Our intention is to enhance strategically located assets on the Italian territory, converting them into luxury hotels, thus expanding the high-end offer in our country. We enhance the territories in which we operate, creating synergies that act as a driving force for growth and development. Sicily is rich in art, nature and history, and deserves a first-class hotellerie sector. Taormina, then, has an extraordinary position that can support the expansion of the region's receptivity. Our growth path in Sicily passes through such operations, which are also capable of creating future synergies with our "La Dolce Vita Orient Express" offer.

For the transaction, Gais Hotels Group was assisted by Novenero as financial and strategic advisor in the person of the managing partner, Andrea Ivancevich, while the law firm Abbadessa Franchina in the person of the lawyer Gaetano Franchina managed the legal profiles relating to the execution of the restructuring agreement and the disposal of the asset. For the Barletta Group, the transaction was handled by Nicola Adile Diego Vacca, Chief Legal Officer, and Mario Cappon, Cfo of the Group, while the FGAlex law firm provided external advice and Cbre acted as real estate advisor in all phases of the acquisition, from the off-market origination of the transaction to the closing.