When Conte Bocca stopped to admire the façade of Florence's eighteenth-century Palazzo de Renzis, he would certainly never have imagined that his passion for art would open the way to a new dimension in hospitality. Sensitive to beauty as he was, Conte Bocca decided to purchase the historic dwelling in order to preserve and hand down the age-old art of receiving guests. The carefully-restored Palazzo has become an exclusive, five-star luxury hotel - a point of reference for royalty, aristocrats, and illustrious personages from the world of culture and art. Thus began the history of SINA Hotels. In the years to follow, after patient searching throughout Italy, Conte Bocca's plan to create a group of superior-quality hotels became reality. When still quite young, his son Bernabò and daughter Matilde - who inherited their father's passion for elegance and good taste - enthusiastically threw themselves into the enterprise. Bernabò took up management, while his sister's chosen field of action was public relations. This duo was bound to succeed. Gradually, new hotels were added to the group, in Rome, Perugia, Milan, Viareggio, and Parma and now also in Venice where from over a century has passed since a new hotel was opened on the Canal Grande.In May 2003, The Gray opened in Milan as the city's first truly contemporary 'designer' hotel. The latest addition to the hotel group's portfolio, Relais Villa Matilde will  open in Romano Canavese, near Torino. Once the family's summer home, the villa will offer a peaceful 40-room retreat in lovely Piedmont. Each located in the centre of the city. Each one historical. Each one built on a human scale. But each with its own, unmistakable style. Period furnishings. Discreet, courteous staff. The same attention devoted to first-time guests as to habitués. The cuisine, based on typical regional flavours and recipes, varies continuously. At SINA Hotels, the guest plays the lead in a wonderful adventure - one that has just begun but that will endure forever.