The city of Todi lies in the region of Umbria in central Italy. From its vantage point on two tall hills, it looks over the famous and beautiful river Tiber. An ancient city, Todi is believed to have been founded around the 8th-7th century BC. It’s no wonder therefore that American Dan Blagg and his partner Francesco Bianchini saw this city as the perfect place to set up home together.
After a few years restoring and reselling old properties, the couple came across a ruined palazzo inside the city walls. “Palazzo” can be translated to “Palace” in English although the meaning in Italy is slightly different. To Italians, a palazzo is a large building belonging to or having belonged to, a family of some renown. Many also refer to what Americans would call tenement buildings as a palazzo.
The pair began work on the impressive structure which had been left to gather dust, bats and pigeons. Originally, the building was thought to be three separate medieval town houses that had been joined together in the 18th Century.
As Dan Blagg himself points out: “What we liked and we’d not seen in Todi on the market was a house that had big square rooms, high ceilings and an uncomplicated floor pattern. This has an enfilade of rooms across the front, like a palazzo is supposed to have, with double doors and light coming in tall windows instead of little tiny windows that look over sad little backyards and alleyways.”
To give an example of the age and cultural richness of the building, city and region, a stonemason pointed out to the couple various Etruscan and Roman remains in the foundations of the palazzo. This included a Roman well. Historians have also pointed out that the building lies on the site of the city’s Roman amphitheatre.
The following are a selection of images showing the results of Blagg’s and Bianchini’s decoration endeavours which were completed in 2007.
The Foyer. Note the hand painted scene in the grotto as well as the trompe d’oiel window over the door. Each of these are the work of Blagg and Bianchini.
The Salone. The majority of the wall and ceiling patterns in the property were created by the couple due to increasing costs. “Talk about a learning curve, I never had an art class in my life!” laughed Blagg during an interview.
The Kitchen. The men tried when possible to keep to themes that were connected to the history of the building. Under some plaster work on the walls in the kitchen, they found a blue, red and ochre pattern which they then copied and included in the new kitchen interior design.
The Dining Room. An incredible and elaborate stencil pattern adorns the ceiling of the dining room. Again, hand painted by the couple themselves.
The Library. Throughout the building, the couple used a variety of techniques to decorate the walls including stencilling, marbling and even a “chiaroscuro” treatment which is basically using light and shade to create a three-dimensional effect. In the library you can see more wall and ceiling decor.
The Guest Bedroom. Many guests have thought the designs on the wall in this room were part of a wallpaper covering rather than a painted pattern.
The Bathroom. This is one of two bathrooms in the palazzo. Each has some original Roman masonry incorporated into the room decor. Notice the ancient statue head in the wall niche.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What I wouldn’t do for that gorgeous library!
It’s lovely indeed.