Le Stalle: From Rural Ruins to Two Contemporary Dwellings

Reached via what remains of an ancient Roman road not far from Lake Maggiore, Le Stalle was a crumbling rural building steeped in history. Pedro&Juana has transformed it into two vacation homes.

Le Stalle: A meeting of history and landscape

Because of its exposure to the elements, the original structure could not be consolidated. Also, strict Italian laws required that the new project maintain the existing footprint, allowing just 20% expansion. The design team viewed this as a starting point rather than a constraint, preserving the rectangular form and solid stone walls while enlarging them and splitting the volume in two to create a visual break between House A and House B. Pitched in opposite directions, the gabled slate roofs add a poetic quality, suggesting that one volume is trying to catch a glimpse of the lake 500 meters below.

What is striking about this project is the deep respect for historical legacy. Built from stone reclaimed from the ruins, the walls read as a continuation of the original fabric rather than the introduction of a new element. In other words, the past has not been erased as much as absorbed and re-presented. The architects have pierced the thick, austere granite walls with openings framed in solid concrete that not only function as windows but also as moving pictures that frame the surrounding landscape, from the church bell tower on a nearby ridge to patches of woodland. Moving from the dining room to the bedroom to the kitchen, the outlook changes, turning the interiors into a constantly shifting stage, with the sequence culminating at the terrace, designed especially for sitting and enjoying the views.

Shifting, panoramic interiors

Various technical features contribute to lightening the structure visually. Paired weathering steel gutters, for example, run within a thin horizontal groove cut into the granite, adding a contemporary, almost graphic detail. Overhanging roofs and deep eaves anchor the volumes to the slope and recall the building’s original function as a shelter for shepherds and flocks on the steep Lombard hills.

Contrasting with the rocky exterior, the atmosphere of the garden continues inside, expressed in the careful detailing. Both houses extend over two levels to adapt to the slope of the site. Between them, a set of stairs leads outdoors. Each unit has its own color identity, especially obvious in the kitchen worktops, furnishings, and the bathrooms with their colorful floor-to-ceiling tiling.

>>> Discover homes on Lake Como designed by RM Architetture