{"id":481687,"date":"2026-02-21T09:58:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T09:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/481687\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T09:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T09:58:13","slug":"an-architects-florence-home-inside-a-converted-theater-tower-lists-for-16m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/481687\/","title":{"rendered":"An Architect\u2019s Florence Home Inside a Converted Theater Tower Lists for $16M"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFlorence<\/a> has no shortage of stunningly preserved historic homes\u2014but a modern residence carved from a former theater tower, complete with a glass-bottom indoor swimming pool suspended in midair, is something else entirely.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen architect Stefano Tozzi set out to find a home more than a decade ago, he had one priority: sweeping views across the city. However, his broker insisted he look at an unusual option in the city\u2019s bohemian Santo Spirito neighborhood, a cavernous space in the former fly loft of a 19th-century theater, once used to lift stage scenery out of sight. There were no panoramic views, but Tozzi saw something else: potential.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe opportunity was to create an architectural work within an existing volume in the heart of Florence\u2019s historic center,\u201d says Tozzi, founder of the design and architecture firm\u00a0AE5 Partners<\/a>, describing the structure just steps from the Basilica of Santo Spirito and Brunelleschi\u2019s Palazzo Pitti. He purchased the property in 2015 and spent the next six years transforming it\u2014largely by hand alongside a retired carpenter friend\u2014into what feels less like a residential renovation and more like an inhabitable sculpture. <\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: You Can Make 20,000 Bottles of Wine a Year at This $10 Million Italian Estate<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"florence<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA glass-bottom pool is positioned overhead.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPietro Savorelli e Deep studio<\/p>\n

\n\tThe almost 6,500-square-foot home unfolds across three levels beneath staggering 43-foot ceilings, with mezzanines linked by a custom teak staircase that Tozzi personally designed down to each wooden tread. The architect, who grew up in Siena, drew inspiration from both local history and Japanese minimalism, balancing warmth with restraint.<\/p>\n

\n\tThen there\u2019s the showstopper: a suspended swimming pool with a transparent base hovering above the main living area. Inspired by a dreamlike underwater scene in the 2012 film\u00a0Life of Pi, the pool refracts light, shifting ever-changing reflections into the lounge below. Unsurprisingly, engineering it proved to be the project\u2019s greatest challenge. \u201cKeeping the pool from leaking even a single drop of water,\u201d Tozzi says, \u201cwas the hardest part.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: Inside a Remote Sicilian Estate That\u2019s Been Transformed Into a Luxe Family Retreat<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"florence<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tWood paneling and a lush vertical garden soften the former theater\u2019s historic structure.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPietro Savorelli e Deep studio<\/p>\n

\n\tWalnut wood, Calacatta marble, and translucent panels soften the industrial bones of the former theater, and a verdant living wall layers in an added sense of nature. The primary suite includes a fitness area and a Turkish bath, while a top-level bar and cinema lounge add a playful counterpoint to the architectural rigor. A secluded patio and secure garage complete the surprisingly private city retreat.<\/p>\n

\n\tTozzi, who has collaborated with architects including Zaha Hadid<\/a> and Daniel Libeskind on Milan\u2019s CityLife development, has lived here with his family for several years. Now, he says, he\u2019s ready to imagine the next project\u2014perhaps, finally, one with a view. \u201cThere\u2019s never a right moment to sell,\u201d he says. \u201cAfter living in a place I\u2019ve designed with love, I start dreaming about the next one.\u201d\u00a0Luca Ceruti and Donatella Gagliano at Savills are representing the \u20ac13.5 million (roughly\u00a0$16 million<\/a>) listing.<\/p>\n

\n\tClick here<\/a> to see more photos of the Florence home.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"florence<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPietro Savorelli e Deep studio<\/p>\n

\tAuthors<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Abby<\/p>\n

\n\t\tAbby Montanez\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to\u2026<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tRead More\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Florence has no shortage of stunningly preserved historic homes\u2014but a modern residence carved from a former theater tower,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,229,88,64026,6801,3,1170,34561],"class_list":{"0":"post-481687","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-florence","14":"tag-italy","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-real-estate","17":"tag-zaha-hadid"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}