Meditative escapes
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Casa di Langa Cerretto Langhe, Italy
Agape Destinations
EN Italy’s Langhe is a hilly farming region in the northwest
province of Piedmont known for the production of cheese,
wine, and, most famously, white truffles. In recent years,
it has become an important pilgrimage point for gourmands
and foodies from across the globe, which is why hospitality
ventures to host these pleasure-seeking travelers have
begun popping up. For instance, Casa di Langa, a luxury
boutique hotel that sits on more than forty hectares
of vineyards and forested hillsides. Set on the site of
a former farm, Milan-based Parisotto + Formenton Architetti
transformed the vast estate into a welcoming retreat
inspired by the region’s traditional architecture.
“The common thread of the entire intervention
is respect for the territory”, state the architects, who chose
materials that reflect the natural colors of the earth, the trees
and the shades of the foliage before and after the harvest.
“Everything refers to nature and vernacular architecture:
the materials, the rough and imperfect tactility of the
surfaces, the changing greenery in which
the accommodation complex is immersed, and finally,
the large central courtyard that frames the panorama,
created in close dialogue with the surrounding landscape”.
While the buildings’ exteriors were designed to blend
into the landscape, the interiors were designed to elicit
a sense of calm and tranquility using natural materials like
stone, oak wood and plaster in shades of grey and beige.
The designers dressed the bedrooms with rich layers
of textiles, contemporary art and collections of ceramics,
which give the spaces a homey, lived-in feel. However,
in the bathrooms, they channeled the feeling of a modern
spa, with textured grey stone walls and floors, gold-toned
wood and Agape’s Immersion tub, whose rounded forms
provide visual relief to the bathroom’s otherwise strict
straight lines.
“Everything refers to nature and vernacular
architecture: the materials, the rough and imperfect
tactility of the surfaces”. Parisotto + Formenton Architetti
