Your Vision.
Your Investment.
Your advocate on the ground.
Your representative for distinctive hospitality projects in Italy.
The advisory is built around a trusted network of Italian and US-based professionals. Our team of vetted legal, financial, tax, architectural, development, and hospitality specialists help owners navigate the many practical and regulatory complexities involved in investing in the Italian hospitality sector.
Christian Scali, Founder
My advisory work in Italy grows out of years spent developing distinctive properties in both Los Angeles and Italy. That work has ranged from managing bespoke renovations of historic homes to developing Villa Ardore, a restored Tuscan farmhouse reimagined as a private hotel.
These projects required working closely with professionals whose knowledge and craft make it possible to transform remarkable historic and protected properties into places where people gather, stay, and experience the culture of the region.
In my role as co-founder of LV Toscana SRL, an Italian hospitality management company, those collaborations developed into a trusted professional community. Architects, builders, hospitality operators, operations staffing, marketing, public relations, brand and financial professionals became a team bonded by a commitment to preserving the beauty of Italy while supporting thoughtful investment in its hospitality landscape.
This advisory is truly a marriage of my legal career and my passion for Italian luxury. As Founder and Managing Shareholder of Scali Rasmussen, a high-end California-based boutique law firm, I have spent years advising business owners and private clients regarding structuring investments, regulatory frameworks, and the legal realities of operating businesses in international destinations.
Together, these roles allow me to advise clients from both the legal and operational perspective, with the experience and network required to bring distinctive hospitality ventures in Italy to life.
Expertise
Today, my advisory work connects clients with that same network and experience I trusted for my own projects. Together, we’ll move from concept to completion with the right people in place and with a clear understanding of how these projects come together in the unique tapestry of Italy's government and tourism industry.
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Distinctive Properties
Acquisition and restoration of villas, boutique hotels, resorts, countryside estates, and architecturally or historically significant properties across Italy.
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Owner’s Representation
Trusted on-the-ground representation in Italy to coordinate acquisitions, development, marketing and operations.
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Trusted Network
A vetted network of architects, contractors, advisors, and specialists committed to responsible restoration and preserving the beauty of Italian architecture.
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Legal Expertise
Supported by the cross-border legal experience of Scali Rasmussen, helping clients navigate regulatory, financial, and structural considerations.
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Cultural Insight
Combining international perspective with deep respect for Italian culture, design traditions, and local relationships that shape heritage projects
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Comprehensive Advisory
Supporting clients beyond research, financing and acquisition through development oversight, hospitality planning, operational and management strategy.
Advisory Services
Owner’s Representation and Strategic Advisory for Hospitality Projects in Italy
My work with clients typically starts at that earliest stage, exploring the vision for a project, discussing how hospitality ventures are structured and carried out in Italy, and introducing financing options available both internationally and through Italian institutions.
Once the direction is established, I serve as your representative, ensuring the project stays on track to completion with the same care and consideration you bring to your business projects.
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Identifying and securing distinctive properties aligned with long-term vision.
Property sourcing and private opportunities
Market and investment analysis
Feasibility studies
Property tours and evaluation reports
Negotiation support and deal documentation during acquisition
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Coordinating the professional team entrusted with design, permitting, and construction.
Architect, contractor, and specialist coordination
Legal and regulatory alignment
Renovation and development oversight
Quality and timeline monitoring
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Establishing operational foundation for boutique hospitality or luxury rental ventures.
Hospitality concept development
Marketing, PR and sales development
Staffing and operational planning
Identifying suitable hospitality management partner
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Ongoing guidance that continues long after development is complete.
• Introductions to financial institutions and advisors
• Insurance and compliance coordination
• Strategic consultations and long-term planning
Clients
The individuals and families who seek my advice tend to share a similar goal: creating a distinctive property or hospitality venture in Italy while remaining closely involved in the vision. They value experience and present oversight, which is why I work with only a limited number of clients at any given time.
Many of our conversations begin before a property has even been identified. Rather than starting with a search, the work starts with sharpening the idea itself, what the owner ultimately hopes to create.
There is no fixed process. Each property presents its own opportunities and challenges, requiring the same creativity and careful coordination that shaped my own undertakings. My clients value a trusted partner overseeing the work in Italy, ensuring the project continues to move forward with the level of oversight an owner would expect, without requiring constant international travel, or endless distractions with details that take time away from other important ventures.
Typical Projects
Restoration of historic villas and countryside estates
Boutique hotels
Wellness
and eco resorts
Creation of luxury rental properties and branded residences
Featured Project
Villa Ardore
Villa Ardore is a fully-staffed luxury 8-bedroom vacation home with every contemporary comfort and amenity, but with the soul of a Tuscan farmhouse and the services of a 5-star hotel that maintains the highest standards of comfort, privacy, and discretion that served as the proving ground for the advisory model behind Italy Access Advisory.
The project required assembling and coordinating architects and specialists, legal and financial advisors, contractors and hospitality professionals. Through that process, a trusted network emerged, one capable of executing high-end Italian hospitality projects.
That same network now forms the foundation of the Italy Access Advisory platform.
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Acquisition and development of a suitable property in Italy
SWAT analysis and feasibility studies
Coordination of architects and specialists, accountants and mortgage brokers, contractors, and local craftsmen
Legal structuring and regulatory compliance with attention to tax consequences in the U.S. and Italy
Development of hospitality operations, marketing strategy, and guest experience design
Creation of hospitality management company
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Villa Ardore is more than a single project, it represents the collaborative team, professional relationships, and operational experience that now allow Italy Access Advisory to guide clients through hospitality ventures in Italy.
Advisory Team
Christopher M. Henry, ISHC
Feasibility & Development Advisor
A member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), Christopher Henry is the CEO of Majestic Hospitality Group, a Los Angeles-based development and consulting firm—with offices in Miami and Dallas—specializing in the creation and renovation of distinctive, experiential hotels and resorts worldwide. With over $550 million in active projects, the company provides customized, end-to-end services in development, design, branding and operations to help clients—from institutional investors to boutique hotel owners—deliver exceptional guest experiences. Notable projects include Villa Ardore in Tuscany, Andaz Costa Rica Resort in Guanacaste, Fusaki Beach Resort in Okinawa and Cabo Wave Hotel in Mexico.
“While Majestic has been focused on advising international projects since its inception in 2008, this is the first international office we have launched,” Henry said. “I have known and respected Christian for years. This joint venture brings together proven, international hospitality organizations to provide heretofore unavailable services to a growing body of interested, active investors.”
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Advisory
Scali Rasmussen Legal Partner
Cross-border legal, regulatory, and financial structuring—
Scali Rasmussen is a Chambers USA–recognized California business law firm advising entrepreneurs, investors, family offices, and privately held companies on complex regulatory, financial, and commercial matters. Founded in 2013, the firm is known for delivering strategic, business-minded counsel grounded in real-world commercial insight.
With offices across California, Scali Rasmussen provides counsel across a range of disciplines including corporate transactions, real estate, employment law, regulatory compliance, and complex commercial litigation. The firm also maintains an active international practice, through their desk in Rome, assisting foreign clients entering U.S. markets and advising on cross-border legal and financial structures.
Through its partnership with Italy Access Advisory, clients benefit from integrated legal guidance spanning both the United States and Italy, helping ensure that projects and ventures are structured and executed with careful attention to regulatory and financial considerations.
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Development
Majestic Hospitality Group
Feasibility & Development Advisor—
Majestic Hospitality Group is a development company and consulting firm based in Los Angeles with offices in Miami and Dallas. We work globally on creating and renovating unique, experiential destination hotels and resorts with clients ranging from Fortress Investments to first-time boutique hotel owners. Our team of professionals in real estate development, market and site feasibility, planning, design, architecture, branding, and hotel operations are ready to bring certainty to the decisions made for delivering exceptional and profitable guest experiences. “Every Experience Matters…” For us, it’s more than just a motto, it’s a lifestyle. We see each part of a hotel operation as an integral ingredient of the whole enterprise - all working in harmony to deliver impressive guest experiences and enviable financial results.
From complete turnkey project development, renovations or PIPs to fully customizable service packages, we offer tailor-made, signature services with a first-class capability and unprecedented flexibility. Majestic is currently responsible for developing several assets which total in excess of $350 million and consulting on another $200 million worth of projects.
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Hospitality & Operations
Ardore Hospitality Management Group
Hospitality, Marketing & Property Management Partner—
LV Toscana is a hospitality and property management company founded through the development of Villa Ardore, a luxury destination property in Tuscany.
Through that project, LV Toscana assembled a network of architects, designers, contractors, hospitality professionals, and marketing specialists experienced in creating and operating distinctive destination properties.
Today, LV Toscana supports Italy Access Advisory clients pursuing hospitality ventures by providing operational, property management, marketing, public relations, sales, guest experience, and staffing design and strategy.
The Process
How Hospitality Property Projects in Italy Unfold
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Hospitality projects in Italy rarely begin with a simple property search. Zoning classifications, planning restrictions, and hospitality licensing requirements can determine whether a property can ultimately be used as intended. Many projects encounter difficulty when these factors are not fully understood before acquisition.
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Once a potential property is identified, careful due diligence becomes essential. Ownership structures, financing arrangements, tax considerations, and regulatory obligations must often be coordinated across both Italian and U.S. legal and financial systems. Addressing these questions early helps avoid structural complications that can emerge later in the project.
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Renovation work, particularly with historic buildings, can introduce additional complexity. Planning approvals, heritage protections, and regional construction practices frequently require coordination between architects, engineers, contractors, and municipal authorities. Misalignment between these professionals can slow progress or significantly affect timelines and costs.
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Projects also benefit from working with professionals who have successfully collaborated before. Assembling a team from scratch can create coordination challenges, particularly for owners managing projects from abroad. Established working relationships between architects, contractors, legal advisors, and hospitality professionals often help prevent unnecessary delays or misunderstandings.
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For international owners, the greatest challenge is rarely the vision for the property itself but maintaining consistent oversight from a distance. Ensuring that decisions made abroad are clearly understood and implemented locally requires careful coordination, fluency both with the Italian language and business culture, and an on-the-ground presence throughout the life of the project.
