Annual Report 2011 - Fai

1. Protecting and enhancing
Restoration
1. Protecting and enhancing
Restoration
© M. Chiesa
To celebrate
together with the
Italians the 150th
anniversary of
Italian Unification,
we have restored
and given back
to the wider
community
three wonderful
properties: the
Negozio Olivetti in
Venice, the Villa
dei Vescovi in
Luvigliano
di Torreglia (Padua)
and the Bosco di
Above: Restoration
work at the Negozio
Olivetti, Venice
THREE PRECIOUS GIFTS GIVEN BACK TO ITALY
In the year that saw the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification,
a significant part of our restoration efforts were focused on those operations geared towards
the three important openings of the year: the Negozio Olivetti in Venice, the Villa dei
Vescovi in Luvigliano di Torreglia (Padua) and the Bosco di San Francesco in Assisi.
These were three completely different projects that allowed us to give back to the community
at large three unique embodiments of Italian history and of the Italian national identity. These
were three “gifts” that we wanted to donate to the Italian people in order to make a tangible
contribution to the recovery of a country that finds itself in the middle of an economic and civil
crisis.
ITALY REDISCOVERS A 20TH-CENTURY ICON
The restoration of the Negozio Olivetti – the first property to be inaugurated during the
year – was carried out by the Assicurazioni Generali insurance group, which owns the
Procuratie Vecchie building in Piazza San Marco in Venice. Having completed the restoration
work over the course of a year, Assicurazioni Generali entrusted us with the running of
this masterpiece created by architect Carlo Scarpa in 1957-58, leading up to the re-opening
of the Showroom on April 20, 2011.
Our task was to fit out the interiors. It was a very difficult challenge in that the objective
was to give a bona fide icon of 20th-century Italian architecture its original beauty
back, respecting the original vision of the Venetian artist. Assisted by the architect’s son,
Tobia Scarpa, we sited within the Showroom not only the original furnishings but also
a collection of vintage Olivetti typewriters; moreover, we carved out the space for a
bookshop/ticket desk and a staff office. A custom marketing campaign was created for
the opening, with multimedia workstations being put in place to provide historical information
on the architecture of the Showroom and on the entire oeuvre of Carlo Scarpa.
© P. Roggero
THE VILLA DEI VESCOVI, A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE OF GRAND CIVIL
ARCHITECTURE
The second “gift” was the opening of the Villa dei Vescovi, a significant exemplar of
grand Italian civil architecture, immersed in the beautiful scenery of the Euganean
Hills. In this instance, the challenge we faced was to reinstate the Villa’s role as the hub for an
intellectual circle that it had originally acquired from the mid-16th-century onwards, making
the most of that relationship of perfect harmony between manmade architecture
and nature that has always been its exclusive preserve. Having begun in 2007, the long,
laborious restoration process was completed in June 2011, just prior to the Villa being opened
up to the public. In the months leading up to the inauguration, the works focused mainly on
overhauling the landscaped areas and on the interior design elements, including
the creation of a special technical lighting solution geared towards making the visit all
the more involving. The courtyard space in front of the Villa was restored in such a way as
to retain the original Renaissance design, whereas the outbuilding became the new home
for the shop and the ticket office. To tell the story of the property in the most engaging
way possible, taking in its specific artistic and architectural features and illustrating the main
restoration operations carried out, we decided to use part of the terrace floor of the Villa for the
information rooms, whereas the piano nobile – its Venetian-style flooring now beautifully
restored – plays host to the historical furnishings. Last of all, with a view to transforming
the Villa dei Vescovi into a frame of reference for high-quality tourism throughout the area,
we used the attic floor to create two large guest apartments that are ready to provide a warm
welcome to visitors from around the world.
© G. Majno
2,569
m 2 Venetian-style
and cotto-tile flooring
AT THE VILLA DEI VESCOVI, WE RESTORED
Restoration works at
the Villa dei Vescovi,
Luvigliano di Torreglia
(Padua)
1,390 1,627
m 2 of plasterwork m 2 of frescoes
26 Annual Report 2011 Annual Report 2011 27