Who we are
The Tacconi-Ottelio Group includes Italian and foreign companies active in the hotel industry and in tourism, art, culture and wellness.
At the helm of the Group today is the entrepreneur Antonio Tacconi. Born in 1969, Antonio gained a first-class degree in Economics and Commerce from Rome's La Sapienza University in 1993, before qualifying as an account and auditor. After running the family businesses as well as multinational brick manufacturing companies, he decided to embark on a career in property, tourism and the restaurant trade, both in Italy and overseas. An art connoisseur and keen collector, Antonio devoted himself to collecting paintings, engravings, prints and coins - passions handed down from his parents Lucia and Giuseppe.
His mother, Lucia Ottelio, is heiress to the Conti Ottelio, one of the most important and noble houses of the Friuli region. Antonio's father Giuseppe comes from the Tacconi family, Umbrian business owners who started out by producing bricks in 1880 before moving into radio and television and establishing "Tele Radio Centro Italia", Umbria's largest radio broadcaster, between 1976 and 1984.
Villa Ottelio Savorgnan, formerly the residence of Lucina Savorgnan and later of the Conti Ottelio family, was remembered by Cecil Clough in 1960 in the conclusion to his postgraduate thesis on Luigi da Porto and his "Lettere di Messer Alvise da Porto" dating from the 1509 and 1513, reminding us that the real protagonists of Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet were in fact from Friuli, their names were Lucina Savorgnan and Luigi da Porto and their love story dated from that region, eighty years before.
The Tacconi kilns began firing bricks as early as 1880 and the business grew rapidly thanks to Antonio Tacconi (1901-1976), reaching its peak during the 1960s and '70s with factories at Terni, Pomezia, Santa Maria degli Angeli, Foligno and Bastardo. Giuseppe Tacconi (1933-2019) continued the family business until 2003, when he began a partnership with Wienerberger AG, a world leader in the production of bricks.
In 1980, Teleradiocentroitalia was received by Pope Carol Wojtyla in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican, when he thanked and blessed the station during the Angelus for having worked to bring aid to the population hit by the earthquake in Irpinia. Giuseppe Tacconi paid homage to the Pope with a commemorative plaque.
The Tacconi-Ottelio Group's tourist and hotel division incorporates three main companies: Vallantica Resort & SPA, Les Galeries Marval and Grand Hotel San Gemini.
The Group became involved in tourism almost by chance, when in 2005 Tacconi acquired the historic and enchanting "Vallantica" property, which stands on the hills above San Gemini and was the home of Antonio Canova in the late 18th century. This perfect combination of art and nature gave rise to the idea of opening a heritage hotel that would best convey the history of the location, with the accent on luxury, tradition and quality - three principles that would become the hallmarks of all the subsequent projects. Antonio Tacconi immediately believed in the ambitious project of renovating the building into a luxurious, aesthetically stunning and prestigious hotel complex offering exclusive amenities, fine food and wine, a gym and spa and luxury hospitality. Within just a few years, Tacconi had created designer bedrooms, a gourmet restaurant with a panoramic view and a wellness centre fitted with the latest equipment. But Vallantica also offers its guests a historic wine cellar, built in the 1950s and later restored, preserving all the intriguing past and charm of this Umbrian gem.
In 2013 Antonio Tacconi acquired "Les Galeries Marval", a shopping complex in Neuchâtel, Switzerland with an old-world charm, as it was once the court of the ancient castle of Neuchâtel. The building was given a complete overhaul, with the aim of taking the traditions and art of Italy beyond the borders of the Bel Paese. The renovated edifice is now a modern space offering refined Italian cuisine, a thriving art gallery, comfortable apartments for an atmospheric stay in the historic town centre, exhibition spaces and conference rooms. The shopping centre stands in the heart of the historic centre, in a building that was once home to the celebrated Marval family and which is now a unique landmark and meeting place for locals and tourists alike. Les Galeries Marval is the only place of its kind in Neuchâtel, offering visitors a rich and satisfying experience packed with opportunities for shopping, food and drink, art, culture and wellness.
The year 2019 saw the Group's last acquisition: Grand Hotel San Gemini. Tacconi took over the historic residence of the Santacroce family and set about restoring and redeveloping this magnificent 18th-century building, located in the heart of the village and nestling in large gardens complete with swimming pool and a large terrace. Here, once again, the focus is on the pairing of art and tradition. The result is a building that offers modern comforts and technology to an international clientele, while preserving the important heritage and history of this location. At the Grand Hotel, guests will find elegant bedrooms, large state-of-the-art meeting rooms for corporate, cultural and artistic events, the "Origine" restaurant with its gourmet menus, an elegant and well-stocked wine cellar and hospitality that meets the high standards set by the Group. All this in the context of a real exhibition! This is a true art hotel, where guests can view, admire and even buy premium artworks. As the perfect venue for ceremonies and events, the Palace also has a stunning "frescoes gallery", a room lined with 18th-century wall paintings, which were recently restored and are now the subject of study by Roma Tre University.
As you can see, the Tacconi-Ottelio Group is now a large, well-established business that fully embraces the spirit and values of the Tacconi Ottelio family: history, passion, optimism, tenacity, innovation and a love for all things beautiful. The ingredients of a success story whose future is yet to be written...