A dialogue with the past: Preservation techniques of historic villas in Italy
Rome: Italy’s rich history, evident in its monuments and cities, has created a unique context for architectural renovation. Italian architects often embrace this heritage by engaging in a dialogue between old and new, rather than aiming for a complete transformation.
This approach intentionally avoids an imitative style, instead using contemporary materials like steel, glass, and new wood to frame and highlight the existing historic stone and brickwork. This juxtaposition turns the original materials from simple structural elements into featured decorative and narrative ones. The result is a layered experience where the history of the space remains visible, ensuring it is preserved rather than erased by the renovation.
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This blending of past and present is rooted in a critical-conservative philosophy, championed by figures like Giovanni Carbonara. This school of thought argues that restoration must respect both the aesthetic and historical integrity of a building. This means that any new intervention must be clearly distinguishable, reversible, and should not create a historical “falsification.” The deliberate layering, like exposed stone and contemporary steel or glass, is a direct application of this philosophy, allowing a building to simultaneously tell the story of its past and its present.
The restoration of Aristo House focused on a reduction to the essentials, inspired by classical design principles. The approach was to create a purist and tranquil space by simplifying the interior and celebrating the original brickwork. New, linear structures and a neutral color palette were introduced to contrast with the historic fabric without competing with it. A key element of this project was the use of “dynamic superposition,” where elements like the staircase, desk, and mezzanines are integrated into a single, meandering space. This technique redefines the interior volume, providing a rich spatial experience while maintaining a visual and functional clarity that references the building’s historical symmetry.
The renovation of Casolare Scarani House was guided by a strong emphasis on preserving the exterior patina of the old schoolhouse. The architects and owners carefully scraped away layers of old paint to reveal the original stone facade, making the building’s history a central feature of the exterior. For the interior, a full replastering was done using traditional lime plaster and paints, ensuring consistency with the building’s historical construction methods. Old stones were repositioned, and new chianca floor tiles were laid to match the existing ones. In places like the dining room, small, deliberate sections of a wall were left unplastered to expose the older stone layer of the building, serving as an archeological window into the structure’s past.
The renovation of the Artist Studio involved inserting a new, modern structure, creating a “house within the house” on the ground floor while leaving the ancient exterior largely unaltered. This approach created a deliberate contrast between the interior and exterior, where the building’s humble, historic façade gives way to a contemporary, reconfigured space inside. The new construction is a ventilated wooden frame that houses a central module containing a bathroom and storage. This module effectively organizes the space, creating different areas for thinking, creating, and socializing. The original stone wall is visible at only one point inside, acting as a visual anchor that connects the new intervention to the building’s historical context.
The project at Casa ET involved both a renovation and a strategic expansion to address a lack of living space. The approach was a functional transformation of an existing portico into a new living and dining area. This was achieved by removing the original roof and adding a new metal structure and continuous glass facade. This created a strong contrast between the new, transparent extension and the existing, exposed stone wall of the farmhouse, which was left visible inside the new room. The project also included exterior modifications like the addition of an infinity pool and new terracing, expanding the property’s functional area while using materials like reinforced and gabionized earth to blend with the landscape.
The renovation of Al House was a respectful reinterpretation of an existing farmhouse without altering its original volume or exterior architectural features. The project’s goal was to adapt the interiors to the client’s needs by redistributing spaces and introducing contemporary systems. The approach focused on creating a “two-story” narrative: a preserved exterior that alludes to the building’s history, and a modern interior that expresses the present. The interior design created dynamic, double-height spaces and new visual axes that guide movement and perception through the house. The use of local, traditional materials for the exterior was balanced by the introduction of contemporary materials like pietra serena and corten steel for details, creating a project that is both a continuation of history and a response to modern living.
