Pierattelli Architetture has completed the renovation of Pieve Aldina, a 22-room hotel set in a 12th century episcopal complex.

Situated in the heart of Tuscany amongst rolling hills and vineyards, the 2,000 m² site was gifted in 1043 by the Count of Piancaldoli to his wife Aldina Ubaldini, after whom the hotel is now named. With irregular façades in pietraforte sandstone, 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 site’s three buildings reflect the design elements of a traditional Tuscan farmhouse. Preserving the property’s charm and history, Pierattelli Architetture has maintained many of the original design elements, creating a hotel complete with outdoor swimming pool, spa and restaurant.

The building’s original interior wall decorations have been maintained and restored on the piano nobile, and a stone staircase, coffered wooden ceiling and neoclassical frescoes also nod to the building’s heritage. Interiors have been completed with furnishings in sage green, as well as variations on a theme of beige, white and brown, while materials are typically local, including terracotta for the floors, lime plaster for the walls and wood for the fixtures. The walls have been given an additional sophisticated touch by the works of Parisian artist Dune Varela, printed on slabs of Carrara marble, and the herbaria of Stéphanie Montaigu, who pastes images of flowers and ancient sculptures onto the yellowed pages of old books.

The property’s outhouses, where farming tools were once kept and olives were left before pressing, have been renovated and transformed into Le Rondini restaurant, which features a vaulted ceiling in iron and terracotta alongside contemporary notes like track lighting. Here, Pierattelli Architetture has designed a large opening in the wall that allows diners to watch the chefs at work in the kitchen, as well as a new arched passageway that leads onto the internal courtyard. 

The hotel’s spa, meanwhile, has been equipped with two massage rooms, a sauna, Turkish bath and emotional shower.