The Castello or Castle of Roccabianca, also called Rocca dei Rossi, is a castle built in the town of Roccabianca, province of Parma, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy.

It was built and decorated in 1460 by the lord of San Secondo, Pier Maria II de' Rossi, for his great love Bianca Pellegrini. From the Rossi family, it passed to the Pallavicino, and later to the Rangoni family. In 1831 the castle was acquired by Maria Luigia of Parma, becoming a direct possession of the Duchy of Parma.

The castle has undergone much despoiling, most prominently a 15th-century cycle of frescoes depicting the Story of Griselda da Saluzzo from the novel of Decameron of Boccaccio, which was detached and taken to Milan. A copy was frescoed in the 20th century. Other rooms contain allegorical frescoes, portraits, and landscapes.

The castle is now used for cultural and private events. It houses the Museum of Distilling.

Castello di Roccabianca

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La Rocca dei Terzi, nota anche come rocca di Sissa, è un castello d'epoca medievale, più volte modificato nei secoli successivi, che sorge in viale della Rocca 6 a Sissa, nel comune di Sissa Trecasali in provincia di Parma; è sede di alcuni uffici municipali.
Storia
L'originario castello innalzato a difesa del territorio di Sissa fu probabilmente edificato già nell'XI secolo, anche se i primi documenti che ne attestarono l'esistenza risalgono al 1182; nel 1195 l'imperatore Enrico VI di Svevia concesse al Capitolo della Cattedrale di Parma la giurisdizione su Sissa.

Nel 1362 Bernabò Visconti aveva riconosciuto al suo condottiero Gherardino Terzi il possesso di Torricella, alla foce del Taro, con l'incarico di fortificarla; la piccola struttura fu quindi ricostruita completamente e notevolmente rinforzata, tanto da risultare quasi inattaccabile per oltre mezzo secolo.

Nel 1386 Giberto I dei Terzi, fratello di Niccolò Terzi il Vecchio, divenne capostipite della casata quando fu investito del feudo di Sissa e Trecasali da parte di Gian Galeazzo Visconti.

Agli inizi del XV secolo il castello riuscì a resistere ai numerosi e violenti assalti da parte dei Rossi; tuttavia, durante gli scontri con il ducato di Milano, nel 1422 fu occupato dalle truppe della repubblica di Venezia, alleate dei Terzi, e danneggiato profondamente negli attacchi che subirono; la fortezza, ormai indifendibile, fu quindi demolita, salvandone solo il mastio, di cui Guido Terzi rientrò in possesso al termine degli scontri. I lavori di ricostruzione dell'edificio in forme residenziali furono avviati nel 1440 da Giberto, Nicolò e Guido Terzi, in seguito all'investitura del feudo di Sissa da parte di Filippo Maria Visconti.

Nel 1551, durante la guerra di Parma, che oppose il duca Ottavio Farnese, alleato dei Terzi ed appoggiato dal re di Francia Enrico II, ed il papa Giulio III, sostenuto dall'imperatore del Sacro Romano Impero Carlo V d'Asburgo, la rocca di Sissa fu saccheggiata da Troilo II de' Rossi, comandante delle truppe pontificie; l'anno successivo i Terzi rientrarono nella loro devastata proprietà.

Nel corso del XVIII secolo l'antico castello fu trasformato definitivamente nell'attuale veste di palazzo signorile, conservando solo l'antico mastio medievale.

Nel 1758 l'antica stirpe dei Terzi si estinse con la scomparsa del conte Francesco Maria, la cui figlia Corona era andata in sposa al marchese Bonifacio II Rangoni, che aggiunse al proprio anche il cognome della consorte, dando origine ai Rangoni Terzi.

Nel 1805 gli editti napoleonici abolirono i diritti feudali, tuttavia la casata mantenne il possesso della rocca, che vendette verso la fine del XIX secolo alla famiglia dei Raimondi; questi ultimi la alienarono a loro volta nel 1900 al Comune di Sissa, che la adibì a sede municipale ed avviò i lavori di edificazione di un monumentale scalone d'ingresso, ai piedi del mastio. Intorno al 1950 fu inoltre ricostruita la scala di accesso sul lato orientale, mentre nel 1986 fu sostituita l'ampia gradinata innalzata all'inizio del secolo con un nuovo scalone in cemento armato e legno.

Il 27 gennaio del 2012 un forte terremoto colpì la provincia di Parma; la rocca ne fu lesionata tanto da essere dichiarata inagibile, costringendo all'immediato spostamento di tutti gli uffici comunali in una sede provvisoria. Furono successivamente avviati i lavori di consolidamento strutturale e restauro del torrione, completati nell'ottobre del 2017.

Rocca dei Terzi

Il Teatro Pallavicino è un teatro situato a Zibello, in provincia di Parma.
Questo piccolo teatro è stato ricavato, presumibilmente verso la fine del XVIII secolo, nel lato ovest del Palazzo Vecchio che a quel tempo era proprietà dei marchesi Pallavicino, feudatari di Zibello. L'ultimo signore, il marchese Antonio Francesco, pare soggiornasse a Zibello con maggiore assiduità rispetto ai suoi antenati che preferivano dimorare altrove; inoltre dimostrò propensione a ridare dignità al feudo, cercando di realizzare opere che attestassero l'impegno civile e sociale e instaurando più strette relazioni con i sudditi. Non è improbabile quindi che, per rendere più piacevole la permanenza zibellina, abbia deciso di dar vita nel suo palazzo ad un piccolo teatro per offrire a sé ed ai suoi ospiti svago e diletto.


Palazzo Pallavicino (Zibello)
Si sa con certezza che nel 1804, per soddisfare i desideri dei notabili del paese, aprì questa sala al pubblico. La sola testimonianza del primitivo assetto del teatro Pallavicino è rilevabile nelle Memorie di don Bartolomeo Zerbini: si trattava di una struttura essenziale costituita dal palcoscenico e dalla platea contenente una ventina di banchi. Soltanto nel 1827, afferma sempre don Zerbini, fu completamente rinnovato a cura di un certo Lorenzo Boni (il quale doveva ricoprire un ruolo amministrativo di rilievo nella locale Società Filodrammatica) e vi si costruirono i palchi, di cui quello centrale era riservato ai Pallavicino, un altro al parroco. A due pittori scenici tra i più rinomati del tempo, Pietro Piazza e Giovanni Azzi, fu affidata la decorazione della sala. La sala dei Pallavicino acquistò così un aspetto definitivo e compiuto, tanto che il Molossi nel suo Vocabolario topografico pubblicato a Parma nel 1832-1834, poteva annotare che a Zibello vi era un moderno e sufficiente teatrino dotato di una doppia fila di palchetti.

Se si escludono le indispensabili opere di manutenzione e restauro effettuate a cadenza periodica per mantenerlo efficiente, l'aspetto del teatro non ha subito mutamenti di rilievo fino al secondo decennio del XX secolo. Nel 1905 l'Amministrazione Comunale concluse le trattative già da tempo avviate con la contessa Simonetta Pallavicino (proprietaria dell'immobile) per l'acquisto del teatro, compresi l'atrio e i locali di servizio che ne erano parte. Successivamente, nel 1910, il Consiglio Comunale deliberò la risistemazione globale del teatro, secondo il progetto redatto da Lino Bocchi, che prevedeva, tra l'altro, la costruzione del loggione in legno raccordato ai palchi sottostanti. Mentre un nuovo più ampio e decoroso ingresso fu realizzato su progetto di Virginio Michiara. Fu modificato il sistema di illuminazione: quello a petrolio fu sostituito da quello elettrico, infine furono rinnovati gli arredi della platea. I lavori si conclusero nell'estate del 1913 e il teatro così rinnovato fu inaugurato con la Lucia di Lammermoor il 12 giugno 1914.

La risistemazione novecentesca non ha modificato radicalmente la sala teatrale, che mantiene pertanto la tipologia ottocentesca: pianta a U, una fila di dodici palchetti con palco reale e un loggione lignei, arcoscenico con decorazione a stucco e orologio centrale, ma ha reso semplice e lineare l'apparato decorativo. Si conserva ancora un sipario, a effetto di tendone trompe-l'oeil, con un fregio decorativo nella parte inferiore.

Le cronache registrano nel teatro Pallavicino un'attività piuttosto intensa e vivace, grazie soprattutto alla presenza di due società locali, una Filarmonica ed una Filodrammatica. Quest'ultima, documentata fin dal 1806, era formata da persone "savie", "studiose e benestanti", provvista inoltre di tutto il necessario per l'allestimento degli spettacoli in prosa, costumi ed attrezzatura varia. Nel corso degli anni le due associazioni si assunsero, con il concorso dei palchettisti, l'onere di apportare al teatro le necessarie migliorie. Non mancarono comunque le rappresentazioni di compagnie di giro comiche e drammatiche, i concerti e le messe in scena delle opere in musica, quali ad esempio Il principe di Taranto, L'italiana in Algeri, La gazza ladra di Rossini, Traviata, Rigoletto e Sonnambula.

Inoltre fin dal 1919 si tennero anche proiezioni cinematografiche, che dopo il 1955 (quando cessarono le rappresentazioni drammatiche) fino al 1963 costituirono l'unica attività del teatro.

Per molti anni la sala è rimasta inutilizzata, poi a partire dal 1978 l'Amministrazione ha avviato un'opera di recupero della struttura al fine di scongiurarne il definitivo degrado; è stato sistemato il tetto, il corridoio d'accesso allo scalone, sono stati restaurati palchi e platea e rifatti gli impianti (riscaldamento, luce, ecc...) ma è ancora mancante dei requisiti richiesti dalla normativa sulla sicurezza. È intenzione degli amministratori portare a termine l'intera opera, al fine di mantenere in vita e rendere utilizzabile la sala, se non come vero e proprio teatro (dati gli elevati costi di gestione) perlomeno come luogo di aggregazione per audizioni, dibattiti e conferenze.

Teatro Pallavicino

Rocca dei Rossi is a castle located at piazza Mazzini #12 in the town of San Secondo Parmense, province of Parma, in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna. A different Rocca dei Rossi, also known as Castello di Roccabianca, is located in the town of Roccabianca.
History
The castle was built on an elevated land in 1513 by Pier Maria I de' Rossi, father of Pier Maria II, to defend the fortified borough of San Secondo, which had been a family fief since the 12th century. The rocca sites on the opposite shore of the Taro river than the borough, and also used its water to fill a defensive moat.

The stronghold was later turned into a luxurious manor decorated with 16th-century frescoes by local artists. The last heir of the Rossi family donated the castle back to the Municipality of San Secondo, and henceforth was used as Town hall until 2007. The manor is open to tours of its architecture and artwork all year.

Castle
Only the northwest wing and the northeast façade remain of the 16th century structure. During the last part of the 19th century, a large part of the castle was destroyed. The Renaissance courtyard, the main staircase and the reception hall, and the frescoes on the piano nobile remain. In 1983, an earthquake caused considerable damage to the building, requiring extensive restructuring. Today, guided tours of the castle are held regularly with performers dressed in historic costumes. In the first week of June, the Rocca provides the stage for a traditional Palio of San Secondo, contested among the various contrade of the town, and the theatrical representation of the marriage between Pier Maria III de' Rossi and Camilla Gonzaga, originally celebrated on 13 February 1523.

Art
In the 16th century, the Rossi castle was decorated with frescoes depicting secular themes by prominent disciples of Giulio Romano, including by Baglione, Orazio Samacchini, il Bertoja, Procaccini and Paganino. The estravagant decoration was due to a wish by the Rossi not to appear inferior to the new lords of Parma, the Farnese.

Main artworks include:

The Hall of Bellerophon. Beyond the courtyard and the main staircase, this grand hall houses the most important equipment for the San Secondo Palio. On the ceiling is a fresco of Bellerophon killing the chimaera, a monster with the heads of a lion, of a dragon and of a goat, representing the fight between Good and Evil.
The Hall of Justice, completely frescoed by Baglione.
Aesop’s Gallery and The Hall of Fables show frescoes illustrating popular fables, including "The Fox and the Wild Pig", "The Fox and the Lion", "The Dog and the Rooster" and "The Wolf and the Lamb".
The Hall of the Golden Donkey has 17 paintings from Apuleius' Golden Ass. The story runs counterclockwise around the room starting at the bottom strip and concludes at the center of the vault.


Rocca dei Rossi

We care for our community and our land. Thus, in 2009 we created the Agorà Orsi Coppini Museum - Ark of Culture, a Museum of the Art of Oil Making set up in a 19th century former dairy for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, recovered with a preservation restoration effort.

The Agorà Orsi Coppini Museum is at last bringing the olive tree back to the Parma area, an area that has always been at the heart of the agri-food sector. This all-encompassing ideal links cultivation with knowledge, love of nature with the love for knowledge and humankind. A Museum that shows our passion for the olive tree, a holy tree in every civilization, a symbol of pace and dialogue, source of sustenance and flavours, care for the spirit and body, and source of light.

“To know is to love", this is the idea carried forward by the Coppini Family: spreading knowledge of a product and a world which is art, indeed the Art of Making Olive Oil, whose aura illuminates history from the most ancient mythology to today. Civilisations of the Mediterranean prospered also thanks to olive oil. And our role is to diffuse this culture. Italy is a nation founded on olive oil: the symbol of the Italian Republic is, in fact, an olive branch. Also, different religions have expressed their beliefs using olive oil and the olive tree.

The Fieniletto Farm, an old Parmigiano Reggiano cheese-making factory, and the Food Valley become the backdrop for a new art form that has now returned from the 12th century distant past. An emotional journey where extra virgin olive oil turns into logos, words, a culture that can be savoured and translates the knowledge handed down over generations into a direct experience.

https://www.coppiniarteolearia.com

The Agora Corsi Coppini Museum

This splendid property is located by a bend in the river Po, standing in magnificent gardens and surrounded by a large estate with vineyards, maize fields, poplar groves and vegetable gardens. Antica Corte Pallavicina is situated in a carefully restored historic fortified manor, originally dating from the 16th century, with additions from the 18th and 19th centuries. Now an exclusive boutique country house, it offers comfortable accommodation and fine dining experiences in a tranquil rural setting.

Ideal for relaxing visits to this splendid region of Emilia-Romagna, Antica Corte Pallavicina is just over twenty-five kilometres from the historic city of Cremona, renowned for its musical history and traditions, and its splendid Romanesque-Gothic cathedral, the baptistry, and the Torrazzo, one of the highest brickwork bell-towers in Europe. Antica Corte Pallavicina offers bicycles for hire to explore the magnificent countryside, and boat trips can also be arranged on the river.

Antica Corte Pallavicina is host to a fine Michelin starred restaurant, specialising in regional cuisine and produce from the property's own farm, with a special emphasis being placed on delicious home produced cured meats and hams. A range of cookery classes can also be arranged, with themes ranging from pasta, conserves, and the kitchen garden.

Antica Corte Pallavicina 

Il Museo ebraico Fausto Levi, con annessa sinagoga, ha sede in via Cavour 43 a Soragna, in provincia di Parma.

Il museo fa parte dell'Associazione dei Castelli del Ducato di Parma, Piacenza e Pontremoli.
Storia
Verso il 1980 la Comunità ebraica di Parma decise di raccogliere in un museo i preziosi arredi e oggetti sacri appartenuti alle otto comunità del Parmense, in buona parte scomparse;[2] la scelta della sede espositiva ricadde sul palazzo adibito fin dagli inizi del XVII secolo a sinagoga e sede della Comunità israelitica soragnese, per la posizione geografica baricentrica del paese rispetto alle antiche comunità di Borgo San Donnino, Busseto, Colorno, Cortemaggiore, Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Monticelli d'Ongina e Soragna stessa.[3]

L'edificio fu completamente ristrutturato e, al termine dei lavori nel 1981, il museo fu inaugurato dal presidente della Comunità ebraica di Parma Fausto Levi, al quale fu successivamente intitolato.[2]

Percorso espositivo
Il percorso espositivo si sviluppa nei primi due livelli del palazzo; al piano terreno si trovano le prime tre sale, mentre al primo sono collocate la sala delle Sinagoghe scomparse e la sinagoga.[3]

Sala della storia
Nel primo ambiente è descritta, attraverso originali e copie di antichi manoscritti, la storia del popolo ebraico fin dalle sue origini, soffermandosi in particolare, grazie a documenti settecenteschi, sulle comunità del Parmense.[4]

La sala, grazie alle sue vaste dimensioni, è utilizzata anche quale sede per conferenze.
La sala è dedicata alla vita di una famiglia ebraica, rispetto alla pratica religiosa quotidiana; vi sono esposti vari oggetti e arredi di uso domestico, tra cui una tavola apparecchiata in occasione di una festività sacra, un'ottocentesca sedia di Elia utilizzata per le circoncisioni, libri di preghiera, due ritratti risalenti alla fine del XIX secolo e alcune antiche mezuzot.[5]

Sala della Shoah
Nella sala sono descritte, attraverso pannelli e numerosi oggetti provenienti da lager, le persecuzioni causate dalle leggi razziali fasciste e le deportazioni nei campi di sterminio nazisti che subirono le famiglie ebraiche del Parmense; le vetrine espongono anche alcuni indumenti appartenuti a Samuel Spritzman, sopravvissuto ai lager.
La sala ospita alcuni arredi provenienti dalle comunità ebraiche scomparse, tra cui:

un pregevole camino seicentesco, con cappa riccamente decorata con altorilievi in stucco raffiguranti la Legatura di Isacco, proveniente dall'abitazione del rabbino di Cortemaggiore;
un antico lavacro per la Netilat Yadaim;
la cornice scolpita e dipinta del portale dell'aron di Cortemaggiore;
varie foto d'epoca delle sinagoghe scomparse di Busseto, Fiorenzuola e Cortemaggiore;
alcuni indumenti sacri per le preghiere.

Museo ebraico di Soragna

The Rocca Meli Lupi, also called Rocca di Soragna, is a castle-palace located in the town of Soragna, Province of Parma, region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It has a rough, unfinished exteriors and highly decorated interior rooms.

History
A first fortress was built here by marquis Adalbert I of Milan in 985, who had received Soragna and Busseto by emperor Otto I. The area was acquired in the 12th century by the Pallacivino. In 1186 the castle was stormed by combined Guelph troops of Piacenza and Cremona. The lordship however was confirmed to the Pallavicino by emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1189. A few years later, however, the Lupi acquired the castle through marriage and started a reconstruction program.

Built in 1361, the castle once belonged to the princes of the Meli Lupi family of Soragna. The castle had corner towers. In 1446, ornamental grapevine frescoes were painted in the ceilings of the courtyard portico. In 1513 the Meli inherited all the Lupi fiefs, including the castle. Further reconstructions and expansions occurred through the centuries. The castle is still inhabited by descendants of the Meli Lupi family.

Donna Cenerina is the nickname attached to Cassandra Marinoni of Milan, wife of marquis Diofebo II Meli Lupi, who was assassinated in this castle by her brother-in-law Giulio Anguissola in 1573. Legend claims her ghost still haunts the castle.

Description
The castle has a symmetrical, roughly squared plan. At the four corners are quadrangular towers. Another, narrower tower (added in the 17th century) is located at the entrance. A moat, now waterless, protects the three frontal sides. A structure in the rear area connects a tower to the S. Croce Chapel, in turn connected at a smaller fortress, the Fortino Neogotico. The latter is accompanied by a small lake surrounded by grottoes and Baroque statues.

The main façade, in brickwork, is accessed through a small bridge build in the 17th century replace the former drawbridge. Two lions are placed at the side of the bridge's side walls. The central tower has a large window and balcony, above which is a small arch featuring the Meli Lupi coat of arms.

Rocca Meli Lupi

It is only natural for the itinerary to start from here. As can be read on his birth certificate (written in French, since at that time the Municipality of Busseto was under the Department of Taro, directly annexed to France), Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi, son of Carlo and Luigia Uttini, was born at eight o’clock in the evening on 10th October 1813. In this modest building, located at a crossroads in the centre of the village, his father ran an inn with an attached grocery store. His mother was a spinner.

As legend has it, because the yearly festivities for the feast of San Donino, the patron saint of the diocese, were underway at his birth, the music played by a group of strolling musicians was a good omen for the future of the newborn baby. According to recent studies, the Verdis were a family of small landowners who were not illiterate; often, in fact, the innkeeper read letters for those who could not. Hence, the legend of the poverty-stricken family, of the uneducated, poor little peasant, of the starving artist, later fuelled by the editor Ricordi, should be re-evaluated.

Yet, to this day, the most evocative place of Verdi, thanks to the important work of recovery and restoration begun in 2013, does not fail to touch the numerous visitors at the thought of the triumphant goals achieved by the composer. Verdi, however, never forgot his own origins and, in 1863, wrote: “I was, am and always will be a peasant from Roncole.” On the front of the house, a commemorative plaque from 1872 reminds us that the marquises Pallavicino, who were the owners, wanted the house to stay as it was. Over time, other commemorative plaques have been put up. One in particular should be recalled; that given by the poor of Roncole who were helped by the Maestro (1901). In 1913, the centennial of his birth, a bronze bust by G. Cantù was placed in the small garden in front of the house.
As you enter the Museum, the guide will hand you an iPad and earphones. That iPad has an app that allows you to visit the house independently. An interactive map helps you find your way around, the audio sections tell anecdotes and facts about the composer’s childhood, while textual and video materials supplement the narration. To see the same scenes that Verdi would have seen as a child, to listen to his voice telling the story of his own family and to catch sight of his shadow on the walls: all this is possible. Because your guide in this Museum will be Giuseppe Verdi.

http://www.bussetolive.com

Casa Natale Verdi 

Antonio Barezzi, a wealthy merchant and a great music lover, glimpsed Giuseppe Verdi’s aptitude for music early on and asked him to his home as a music teacher for his daughter, Margherita.

The first public appearance by the brilliant youth, in February of 1830, was in the salon, now called “Salone Barezzi” (Barezzi Salon), previously a seat of the Busseto Philharmonic Society founded by Barezzi and Maestro Ferdinando Provesi in 1816. In the months leading up to his move to Milan (1832), where he was to complete his study of music privately under Maestro Lavigna, and after the disappointment of being rejected for admission to the prestigious Milan Conservatory, Verdi lived in the Barezzi home where little by little his friendship with Margherita ripened into love.

His studies were financially supported not only by his father and a scholarship from the Monte di Pietà of Busseto (Pawnshop), but by Barezzi as well. Giuseppe Verdi was infinitely grateful to Barezzi as is shown in his numerous writings. The Salon where concerts and conferences are held, appears to us today as it did in the late 1800s after restoration work carried out in 1979 and 1998 by the “Amici di Verdi” (Friends of Verdi) Association, which has its headquarters there.

Here everything is redolent of the composer: the piano (which Maestro Riccardo Muti, an honorary citizen of Busseto, did not want to play out of respect for the sanctity of the relic), the portrait of Antonio Barezzi and the charcoal drawing of the young Verdi (most certainly the earliest image we have of him), autographed letters including the dedication of the opera Macbeth to his father in-law (1847) and some patriotic appeals (1859).

A marble and bronze plaque on the front of the house commemorates Antonio Barezzi with the words dictated by Arrigo Boito in 1913.

http://www.bussetolive.com

Casa Barezzi

When we think of Italy many images are called back to our minds; generally speaking it’s about idyllic places, deeply viewed in a historical perspective, city palaces or country farmsteads that are vanishing under the spreading standardization of the “pre-packaged” house imposed by the building market. This Italy rich in charm and atmosphere risking to dwell by this time more in our imaginary than in daily reality is worth a deep rethink not only from the point of view of preservation and restoration, but mostly from the point of view of the search for an original and at the same time contemporary Italian style also for those historical architectural examples that would risk to turn themselves into museum houses or wholly distorted. To stage a scenery of contemporary life in an ancient abode is a complex challenge in Italy, where there is a strong resistance to novelty and to themes dear to the contemporary language when architecture buildings with a strong artistic and historical content are involved. The restoration of Casa Orlandi on the contrary starts from the “happy perversion” half ancient and half contemporary alternating in this abode, being as a matter of fact the very essence of the glamour of the tiny guesthouse. Casa Orlandi is a late-18th century abode, strongly desired by a rich middle-class family of the Tuscan textile entrepreneurial activity. The house that was meant to fill the class difference between the wealthy rising middle class and the ancient aristocracy, was richly decorated by one of the main Tuscan fresco painters of the age: Luigi Catani, who worked for the grand duke of Tuscany both at Palazzo Pitti in Florence and in various Medici villas in the environs of Florence. The restoration, long and difficult, for the very bad repair of the palace, 230 square meters unoccupied for twenty years, where also all the frescos had been covered by a thick coat of white paint, right from the beginning has been planned with the purpose of reaching a double aim, all too often forgotten. On the one hand there was the wish for a plain, minimalist restoration, not at all inclined to remaking; wherever the decoration was partially missing it was accepted just as time has handed it down to us; the ancient floors have been saved and preserved, even if some bits are missing or with faults, the ancient casings are all original, kept in their fragile lightness. On the other, there was the strong desire of introducing elements of contemporaneity inside an ancient architecture; a contemporaneity at the same time non stereotyped, entrusted, like it often happens, only to the names of the Italian design, but able to mix very simple elements, almost always objects found around the European markets, with elements on the contrary of famous international designers, right to create that cosy and at the same time non-prearranged mix that is frequently the feature of an experienced “house”. Therefore the choice of keeping a lot of the shared room wide and always various, and just three rooms for the guests, that can enjoy without limit the party hall, the kitchen, the balcony or the library study. The decision not to change in the least the typological aspect neither in the layout nor in the elevations has led as a consequence to the maintenance of a spatiality made by crossed rooms, there is no passage, through always different backdrops, where each room has been “staged” with contemporary criteria so that it is possible to communicate with the ancient places without changing them ever. Everything can be removed, placed again, rethought without distorting the ancient abode, that in this way can be transformed with time remaining witness of a special past and full of evocative power and atmosphere of which the tokens are getting lost: the evidence of a house lived through the ages and always contemporary. So in the small areas, all decorated baths in Corian have been mounted, one rediscovers the pleasure to go through “secret” doors to take shelter in little bathrooms that have been accepted in reduced dimensions to the advantage of a peculiar charm, that of originality. No folk concession to objects in style, some new materials like Corian, the black slate have been introduced, and steel, that constitute the essential elements of our contemporary living. The necessary search for comfort is never betrayed to the advantage of the aesthetic strictness, finding in ancient architecture new cues in order to be expressed. Essentially Casa Orlandi wants to be as follows: a passing-through place for sensitive travellers who love the authenticity of ancient places without renouncing the fascination of contemporaneity but above all it wants to be witness of the fact that the Italian historical architecture, also in its more private and “fragile” version, the abode, nowadays strongly threatened in its integrity by the liberty of conceited builders and not enough defended by the law, has the possibility of being not misrepresented and at the same time to become an extraordinarily contemporary place but also witness of the past and of the passions that have enlivened it over the centuries. Here lies the “contemporary message” for which we present this example of architecture.
https://archello.com