HOTELS & RESORTS
A contemporary renovation of a twelfth-century episcopal complex
- PIEVE ALDINA -
Preserving the charm of history , rediscovering the soul of a place and its essential character . Pierattelli Architetture has designed the new boutique hotel Pieve Aldina , part of the French group Domaine de Fontenille , which stands next to the medieval village of Radda in Chianti , along the Chiantigiana , the ‘ wine road ’ that connects Florence and Siena . Surrounded by 40 hectares of olive groves , Pieve Aldina is part of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux collection and has 22 rooms and suites , an outdoor swimming pool , spa and menu prepared by chef Flavio Faedi , who successfully combines haute cuisine and local dishes . Pierattelli Architetture ’ s project stems from the conservative renovation of a former episcopal complex made up of three buildings that date back to the twelfth century and cover an area of 2,000 square metres . The main aim was to convey to today ’ s visitors the identity and uniqueness of an ancient location that has hardly changed over the centuries , where time seems to have stopped . A haven of peace and quiet that in 1043 the Count of Piancaldoli offered as a gift to his wife Aldina Ubaldini , after whom the hotel is now named .
Irregular façades in pietraforte sandstone , thick walls , sturdy timber frames , terracotta Tuscan roof tiles , porticoes and internal courtyards , high ceilings on the lower floors and lower sloping ones on the upper level : the three buildings reflect the typical elements of a traditional Tuscan farmhouse . One of these , the summer residence of the bishops of Siena , has been listed by the Italian Ministry of Culture as part of Italy ’ s historical heritage , while the small , adjacent , tenth-century parish church , the Pieve di Santa Maria Novella , is one of the most important examples of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany . Respectful of local character , Pierattelli Architetture ’ s project has valorised and conserved the original structures and essence of this area , focusing on recovery of the existing buildings with additions in a contemporary key .
The 22 rooms of the boutique hotel have been created inside these three buildings and the main one , adjacent to the church known as “ la Pieve ”, has been declared a listed building by the Superintendency of Archaeology , Fine Arts and Landscape . Scrupulously carried out this project by Pierattelli Architetture has maintained and restored the original interior wall decorations on the piano nobile . A stone staircase
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