Phi Hotel Canalgrande is an elegant hotel in the centre of Modena, the only four-star hotel in the heart of the citys historic centre.
Strategically located for business and leisure trips, the hotel is a convenient, practical base for getting around the city and the rest of the region: it is located about 1.5 kilometres from Modenas railway station and 400 metres from Piazza Grande, with Modenas cathedral only a six-minute walk away, and Palazzo Ducale an eight-minute walk from the hotel. The hotel is situated in a Limited Traffic Zone, but it sees to having parking permits issued for guests arriving by car. Guests simply give the hotel staff their vehicles plate number when they check in, and the staff will notify the proper office. The hotel also provides its guests with the use of a private garage (booking required). Phi Hotel Canalgrande is a historic residence situated in antique Palazzo Schedoni, to the right of the church of Santa Maria delle Asse. Its origins date to 1530, when it was built to be used as a convent; it was later redesigned in the late 1700s by Giuseppe Soli for the singer Caterina Bonafini, whose cultural salon was one of the citys most popular. The property later passed to Dr Filippo Spezzani, and upon his death it was sold to the Marquess Giuseppe Pietro Schedoni. The home continued to be owned by the Schedoni family past the mid-1900s, when it was sold to an individual who converted it into a hotel. Despite the adaptations it has undergone to fulfil its new duties as a stately hotel, the Palazzo has kept the austere architectural features of its exterior. The first floor windows have elegant jambs and a rectilinear pediment which is also repeated above the round arch at the top of the entrance, which is accessed by climbing a marble staircase. The second floor windows, also with a rectilinear pediment, have a low balustrade, a motif repeated on the sides of the building: on the left, they link the Palazzo with the church of Santa Maria delle Asse, and on the right, they serve as a railing along a large terrace supported by wide arches overlooking the courtyard to the south of the building. The austerity of the exterior contrasts with the rich decoration inside: the atrium in the entrance and the adjacent rooms feature decorative touches inspired by Neoclassicism; in some rooms, these are mixed with optical effects typical of Rococò. The themes of the painted decorations and portraits seek to glorify the arts while celebrating the Este family and the French ruling house. Among its guests, Phi Hotel Canalgrande boasts illustrious figures of international standing from the worlds of business, art, culture, and sport.