An Icon in Wan Chai

Tatler speaks to Tony Paese, co-founder and managing director of Sophia Loren Hong Kong, about bringing Neapolitan culture to the city and why working with the screen legend was a childhood dream come true

By Tara Sobti.

Sophia Loren Hong Kong marks the first international footprint for the dining and entertainment concept founded by the iconic actress; there are four restaurants in Italy, in Milan, Florence, Bari and Rome. Opened in April, the Hong Kong outpost—which takes up the historic Wan Chai building that once housed Woo Cheong Tea House—is styled by Italian architect and designer Ivo Maria Redaelli, who also designed the four Sophia Loren restaurants in Italy. Tony Paese, Sophia Loren Hong Kong’s co-founder and managing director, says Loren has always had an affinity for Hong Kong, from as early as the 1960s, when she starred in Charlie Chaplin’s film A Countess from Hong Kong (1967). Here, he talks to Tatler about revamping the location into a glamorous Italian hotspot. Congratulations on the launch. What…

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Tatler Hong Kong (Digital) - 1 Issue, July 2024

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