Paolo Lavezzini has been appointed as Executive Chef at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze

A native of Emilia Romagna, a region known as the bread-basket of Italy, Paolo Lavezzini decided he wanted to become a chef when he was a child. After a brief stint as a soccer player, he had his first experience in the best fine restaurants on the Tuscan coast when he was only 16 years old. He later honed his culinary skills in some of Europe's most prestigious Michelin-starred restaurants including Alain Ducasse*** at the Plaza Athénée in Paris, and Enoteca Pinchiorri*** in Florence where he worked for seven years. Lavezzini was chef at the Plaza de Russie in Viareggio (Lucca), and then in 2012 he moved to Brazil as executive chef for the five star luxury Hotel Fasano in Rio de Janeiro. The hotel's restaurant was recognised as "the best Italian restaurant" in Brasil. In 2018, Lavezzini joined the former Four Seasons Hotel São Paulo as part of its preopening team and led the restaurant Neto as Executive Chef.

He defines himself "Italian by heart, Brazilian by soul." His cuisine philosophy has been influenced by his origins from Emilia Romagna and by his several fine-dining experiences in Tuscany, but has been strongly enriched by his period in Brazil. When in Brazil, he was introduced to "a Brazilian fire," a plethora of ingredients and flavours, and he experimented with combining Brazilian traditions and ingredients with Italian ones. There, he also discovered the importance of choosing organic producers, honouring seasonality and following the path of sustainability.