Ilaria Borletti Buitoni. 6. Castiglioncello del Trinoro. Toto Bergamo Rossi. 10. Castiglioncello, Monteverdi the landscape of Val d’Orcia. 29. Interiors, details. 156.
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3Why make Monteverdi? Michael Cioffi 5Valorize to Protect Ilaria Borletti Buitoni 6Castiglioncello del Trinoro Toto Bergamo Rossi 10Castiglioncello, Monteverdi the landscape of Val d™Orcia 29Interiors, details 156Restaurant, Wine Bar, Library Bar 182The SPA a project by Ilaria Miani photographs by Bernard Touillon texts by Cécile Vaiarelli graphic design by Marco de Sensi translations by Jill Harry and William Larson © Texts and images: Michael L. Cio˜ © IdeArte srl Idea Books – via Regia, 53 – 55049 Viareggio info@ideabooks.com – www.ideabooks.com ISBN 9788888033624 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior consent of the publisher.
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senses. Italians express this idea better and with more zest in the phrase, la dolce vita. Monteverdi is that and more. Infused into the walls of Castiglioncello, Monteverdi teaches a truth about the continuum of lifeŠthe fact that past, present and future are not separate, linear points in time but co-exist as part of the texture and truth of our daily lives. ˚e past informs our lives and teaches us how best to embrace and shape the future. ˚is conviction led me early in the restoration to sponsor one of the only privately-funded archeological investigations in Italy at the apex of the village. ˚is expedition conducted by a team of archeologists from the University of Siena, uncovered the original ficastlefl or fortress of Castiglioncello, which had been buried completely underground for centuries. Now an archeological park, this site is the fountainhead for a cascading collection of gardens and open spaces throughout Monteverdi, each a perfect place to read, converse and be happy. ˚ere is a special place at Monteverdi for the arts and humanities, making the curious of mind at home within its walls. As part of our Artist and Scholars in Residence program we invite an eclectic group of leading contemporary painters, sculptors, scholars, singers and musicians to exhibit at the Monteverdi Art Gallery, to lecture and hold concerts in our performing arts venue, a medieval Romanesque church. With Sir John Eliot Gardiner, I founded at Monteverdi the Accademia Monteverdiana, a week-long series of master classes taught by Sir Gardiner. Entry to the Accademia is by audition only. Successful candidates live in residence at Castiglioncello, rehearsing and practicing the music of Claudio Monteverdi and other Baroque composers. Watching Sir Gardiner teach, inspire and shape the voices and artistry of the Accademia singers is as riveting and enriching an encounter with the arts as is possible anywhere on the planet. One leaves these master classes invigorated and inspired by the human spirit and the amazing beauty it can produce. We also give full attention to the body and senses at the Monteverdi Spa; our farm to table restaurant, Oreade; our Monteverdi Enoteca and at our Library Bar, featuring a breathtaking view of Monte Cetona. Life is not only examined at Monteverdi, but lived fully and well. Land. Nothing has more of an impact on our lives than the natural forces of the physical environment. ˚e land we live inŠfrom the soil composition to topography to climateŠshapes our psyches, our societies, economies, histories and cultures. While there certainly are many beautiful landscapes in the world, none is more spectacular nor impacts the mind, memory and senses more than Tuscany and especially the Val d™Orcia region. ˚e rolling hills and valleys, for millennia now cloaked in green and golden grain, vineyard, olive and Cyprus trees, were actually formed millions of years ago at the end of the ice age. ˚e topography and rhythm of the land itself has remained unspoiled, and essentially unchanged, since pre-history. Evidence of human settlements dates back to neo-Paleolithic times. From this ancient past developed the cultures of the Etruscans, Romans, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Enlightenment. ˚e combined force of this history and the physical, timeless beauty of the environment has a profound and positive impact on one™s psyche and emotions. ˚is amazing land also directly impacts the palate. For example, one can literally taste the seasonal changes in grains and grasses of the rolling hills captured in the evolution of ˛avors in pecorino cheese produced from sheep grazing on those hills. Monteverdi, infused into the bones of Castiglioncello, is the perfect perch from which to see, taste and feel this land, its rhythms and history. Monteverdi exists to share with all this sense of place, this land, this experience. Michael Cio˜ Founder and Owner, Monteverdi Why make Monteverdi? ˚ree words answer this question: Love , Life , Land.Love. When I ˝rst came upon Castiglioncello del Trinoro about ten years ago, she was dying and in danger of slipping o˙ the map and out of history. Walls were collapsed, roads washed out, roofs caved in and gardens overgrown. Yet, I fell in love. Her beauty was not super˝cial but deep, rich and a bit mystical. She had embraced our neo-Paleolithic and Bronze Age ancestors whose artifacts and cave drawings are in the Belverde Park on nearby Monte Cetona. She was host to the Etruscans, as they worshipped the gods of Monte Amiata from her perch. Later in history, she could see in the Val d™Orcia Roman soldiers enforcing Pax Romana , pilgrims and popes on the Via Francigena and the great artists, philosophers and scientists of the Renaissance traveling from Rome to Siena, Florence, Milan and Europe and back again. In short, I found Castiglioncello to be a place of character, substance and history. I became obsessed with protecting and preserving her. Fortunately, I met someone who was also in love with Castiglioncello and wanted to save and preserve her. ˚at person is the brilliant Ilaria Miani. I hired Ilaria to be the designer and architect for Monteverdi. Like a modern day Beatrice she was a bright light and guide to making a small paradiso in this corner of the world, Monteverdi. Together, over time, we developed a shared obsession to restore the village, literally stone by stone, in a manner that is authentic, honest and respectful of the past. No detail was too small or overlooked. Ours is a folie á deux for the good that saved a village and an important story about Italian history and culture. Love also guided my hand in choosing the name fiMonteverdifl. As a student at the University of Notre Dame, I fell in love with that remarkable explosion of human achievement called the Renaissance. No ˝gure of the time embodied the spirit and meaning of firenaissancefl more than Claudio Monteverdi. He re-invented music, literally changed its course, giving birth of a new art form we now call Opera. To feel the complete range of human emotions Œlove, hate, joy, sorrow, triumph and defeat- in the lyrics, melodies and harmonies of Claudio Monteverdi is a profound and peak human experience. Life. Philosophers from Plato to Cicero to Nietzsche teach us that as intelligent and thoughtful creatures our happiness derives from a life lived wellŠthat is, fully, passionately and wisely. We are happiest when we can rise above the challenges and di˜culties of day-to-day living and ˝nd a place for personal renaissances which reawaken in us desire, authentic feelings, experiences and adventures that at the end of the day leave us thrilled and passionate. I created Monteverdi as a place where one could step out of time (however brie˛y) and live again with genuine passion and joy. Every aspect of MonteverdiŠfrom the smallest architectural details to the grandest vista from our Library Bar or from our lavender garden and swimming poolŠis designed to stimulate the mind and ignite the
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Valorize to Protect: The Example of Castiglioncello del Trinoro In Tuscany there is a little-known village on a hilltop overlooking Val d™Orcia, but not only that: Monte Amiata, Pienza and Montalcino are also unique vistas that open cone-like from the windows of the houses very recently restored in Castiglioncello del Trinoro. ˚e village thus materializes the sum of ancient languages created by nature and the hand of man down through the centuries, surprising for its authenticity and preservation. It is this miraculous landscape, at once minute and expansive, that certainly charmed Michael Cio˜ , a leading American attorney who lives in the Eastern United States. And it was this very landscape that transformed a chance encounter Œ that between him and Ilaria Miani , for years a passionate and cultivated restorer of Tuscan homes and hamlets Œ into a collaborative relationship that has given birth to an absolutely unique example of valorization of the territory. Ilaria Miani™s background includes a supportive buon maestro : the late Giorgio Franchetti , patron and collector of note who passed away a few years ago. Implacable when faced with silent abandoned heaps of stones, he would vent his displeasure by taking action to bring them back to life to be lived in once more. ˚anks to him, among others, over the years Ilaria, together with her husband Giorgio, built her own professionalism and knowledge that she has directed not merely to the restoration of old buildings but, as in the case of Castiglioncello del Trinoro, always aimed recovering the souls of the places to which she devoted her energies. From photographs of times past to historical research, chats with the few remaining inhabitants, the choice of materials, and an almost fanatical attention down to the last detail, everything has served to bring history back to life, thus performing a worthy deed of valorization that can only favor cultural tourism in the direct line of the Grand Tour .˚e end result? Something to be seen, to be heard and felt, to be understood and, above all, to be lived and loved as happens when harmony, beauty and culture leave no room for indi˙erence. Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, MP Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism
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Castiglioncello del Trinoro Val d™Orcia is a real Eden, miraculously still preserved and respected. It might be described as a three- dimensional version of the Allegoria degli E˚etti del Buon Governo in Campagna , the allegorical fresco illustrating the e˙ects of good governance in the countryside, executed by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in 1338 for the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena. Everywhere one notices an austere restrained elegance, which is likewise found in all the neighboring age-old villages and cities, such as Pienza, Montepulciano and Montalcino. In my opinion, these places represent the prototype of the esthetic ideal of our Bel Paese , where nature and architecture have coexisted in harmony since the times of Etruscan civilization. A di˜cult territory, often uncultivable, in part made fertile by the reclamation work carried out by the Origo family between World War I and World War II.
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of James Ivory, as in the acclaimed movie Room with a View . At the time, Ilaria was studying art history at the University of Bologna. fiArt as a source of inspirationfl might well be the motto of Castiglioncello del Trinoro. Michael Cio˜ decided to go beyond mere real estate investment, even if the prices of the village houses were beginning to rise. Going against the tide and contrary to the concept of globalization, he relied on Ilaria™s advice; working in tandem, they have given new life to a village that at the beginning of the 20th century had 400 inhabitants but which, with the post-World War II abandonment of the farmlands, su˙ered a near total demographic collapse. Ilaria Miani Pallavicino grew up in one of Italy™s most beautiful residences, fiVilla I Collazzifl, built on the hills of Florence by Santi di Tito, perhaps to plans by Michelangelo, during the latter half of the 16th century. Ilaria™s grandmother, Elena Marchi Luling Buschetti, restored and decorated the huge villa purchased in 1933. Displaying great intelligence, she was respectful of the volumes of the spacious main rooms without sacri˝cing them on the altar of modern convenience (for example, the bathrooms were installed in some service passageways); respecting the architecture and the uniqueness of the building, she adapted to it, as did enlightened Berthie Landsberg to the fiVilla Malcontentafl during the 1920™s. ˚is lesson in humility, in respect and in the wisdom of adopting a soft approach rather than trying to go against the grain of history, was absorbed by Ilaria in summer stays at her grandparents™ home Œ an experience that certainly in˛uenced her style, her modus operandi of working on historical buildings, and her overall vision. Ilaria began to produce furnishings of her own design shortly thereafter with the help of her husband Giorgio, undertaking an interesting project for the restitution of abandoned farms in Val d™Orcia. ˚e result of their work immediately met with great success. Ilaria has a knack for making her interiors, masterfully decorated with almost masculine rigor, commune with the surrounding landscape. In reality, her style is happily sexless, neuter; it does not age. It is simply timeless. Michael and Ilaria began by interviewing the only remaining original residents of the village, Dino and Fernanda Salvadori, who were the last eyewitnesses, the only living memory still on site. Aided by their
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recollections, Michael and Ilaria began to redesign the village, altered for the worse during the 1970™s and 1980™s. ˚anks to Dino and Fernanda™s accounts, even the small square or piazzetta was reinvented, with its rectangular space bounded by a lovely Romanesque church, currently used for the baroque music festival that is held every summer in Val d™Orcia, an event willed into being by Michael, an enlightened patron of the arts. To the left of the front of the church a magni˝cent panorama opens out to the pristine valley all the way to Monte Cetona. On the opposite side there is yet another valley, divided by theatrical wings formed by various levels of the landscape; in the background Monte Amiata keeps watch over the scenery like a sacred mountain. One™s gaze comes to rest, without the distraction of eyesores, between a tree and a cultivated field, on the handmade tiles of the roofs, on dry walls diligently restored, and on cypresses that trace the routes of ancient curving roads painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti no less than seven hundred years ago. At the top of the village archeological digs have brought to light the foundations of a keep (cassero ) dating from medieval times. Restraint has been the watchword for every measure carried out in the village. ˚e result of this work is simply perfect. ˚e relationship is always exquisitely harmonious between the landscape without and the di˙erent houses, the interiors of which have been designed and restored by Ilaria, built over the centuries using blocks of local stone not infrequently salvaged from demolished forti˝cations. Each window in every room a˙ords a view that is ancient, severe and magni˝cent. Here, too, as in fiVilla I Collazzi,fl technology has been adapted to the pre-existent structures: it is we who must take a step back, set aside our ego and realize that our existence is always transient, while the village of Castiglioncello del Trinoro will continue to dominate Val d™Orcia for many centuries to come. ˚e fruit of this ideal collaboration between patron Michael Cio˜ and designer Ilaria Miani is a gift that can be enjoyed by us all. I want to thank them for having made a dream dedicated to Bella Italia come true. Toto Bergamo Rossi, Director Venetian Heritage Foundation
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In the southern part of Tuscany, Val d™Orcia is a world apart. An island within an island, where leisurely strolls take one back to one™s roots, and landscapes o˙er contours delicately portrayed in the arcane simplicity of primitive painting. ˚e real Tuscany, beautiful to the very last breath, deeply possessed by a capacity for story- telling that pervades air and earth, water and wind. Living in Val d™Orcia, travelling its dusty roads which sketch out itineraries from peak to peak with an aura of nobility, is to experience a physical sensation of being permeated by the scenery to the point of light-headedness. No need to convince visitors heading towards Castiglioncello del Trinoro that an adventure lies at the end of the road. With the passing miles, tall trees cast majestic shadows, the scent of broom wafts in the air, an occasional deer skips across a meadow– Everything basks in a kind of silken beauty. Very close to the village of Castiglioncello del Trinoro, a dazzling discovery: that of La Foce. A remarkable garden at the crossroads leading to Chianciano, Sarteano, Montepulciano and Pienza, it could well be the starting-point of an enchanting stay at the heart of Val d™Orcia. Acquired in 1924 by Marquis Antonio and Iris Origo, enhanced by the harmonious landscaping of English architect Cecil Pinsent, La Foce is a visual synthesis of a perfectly ordained garden, seamlessly surrounded by well-reasoned farmland. In her biography, Iris Origo passionately recalls the birth of this exquisite, unique garden, and the embellishment of the surrounding land she undertook rather like a mission, underscored by extraordinarily humane and generous thinking. Facing La Foce, the winding road lined with cypress trees thus became a symbol, that of a well-preserved Tuscany where harmonious nature reigns supreme. When Michael Cio˜ envisaged creating the Hotel Monteverdi in the village, he had already driven along it many, many times. ˚is rhythmical, vertical and perfectly balanced icon undoubtedly served as a beacon. A ˝xed point in the landscape which, in all four seasons, faithfully and steadfastly accompanied his plans for the restoration and revival of the hill-top village of Castiglioncello del Trinoro. Proud of its natural and artistic heritage, Tuscany unfurls from crests to vales, vineyards to hills, as far as the eye can see. An agricultural world, and a land of inspiration where homes and gardens preserve the secret of refined interiors, and landscapes tell of human endeavor nourished by respect.
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