A story that spans the centuries

By Editorial Staff - 20 April 2026
Vimar, Gessi, Disenia have participated in the project

A balance of Renaissance graffiti and murals, rural architecture, and contemporary additions coexists in the restoration of the 16^th-century Casale degli Anguillara, a farmhouse in the Italian province of Viterbo. Architects Gianluca Graziani and Cristiana Sarapo approached this historically and artistically significant building with the clear objective of revealing its underlying identity by bridging different scales – from the landscape to the furnishings – through the idea of temporal continuity. The building, once part of a large farming estate, sits on a tuff spur. It has a compact, vertical layout with a pitched roof and a crowning turret that marks its symbolic role and presence in the landscape.

Several historic elements distinguish the building: the principal façade with its two level loggia; the exterior elevations, which preserve rare bichrome incised wall decorations; and the nearby stone well with heraldic decorations. In response to this significant historic fabric, the architects followed three key principles: minimal intervention, material compatibility, and reversibility. Structural interventions – consolidation, reinforcement of floor slabs, and the rehabilitation of the roof – were approached as minimally invasive actions necessary to ensure stability and durability without compromising the building’s historic fabric. Restoring the loggias and openings reestablished the visual relationship with the exterior and the clarity of the plan, which earlier interventions had partly altered.

Casale degli Anguillara © Carlo Oriente, courtesy Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

The interiors reveal the building’s historical layers most clearly. The original layout was preserved, highlighting the sequence of vaulted rooms on the first floor and the timber framed rooms on the upper levels. The project’s main focus, however, was the ensemble of frescoes and wall paintings from the Renaissance to the 19^th century. Grotesques, heraldic coats of arms, friezes, and decorative motifs were carefully restored and consolidated without interpretive reconstruction, allowing these historic artifacts to reemerge in their authentic state.

The newly introduced elements fulfill a functional rather than self-referential role. They rely on materials that maintain continuity with the local vernacular – timber, iron, and natural stone – acting in some cases as spatial cues that help interpret the building’s layout. The folded steel railings exemplify this approach, echoing the original geometries by tracking the ascent of the ancient stone stairs or reinterpreting the profiles of the vaults. While clearly legible, the contemporary additions maintain a constant dialogue with the building’s formal and historic character. The choice of furnishings also contributes to this sense of continuity, with the pieces functioning as intentional, utilitarian presences – elements that support a concept of domestic life that spans centuries.

The result is architecture of timeless monumentality, where the layering of history, art, and design converges into a coherent narrative – an intervention that restores meaning, legibility, and new life to a significant and multilayered heritage.

Casale degli Anguillara | © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | Abundant natural light permeates the guest rooms, where the original openings – meticulously restored during the renovation – reestablish and enhance the connection with the outdoors. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | The building’s layout and massing are typical of central Italian country houses. Once connected to the main road by a now largely vanished avenue, the farmhouse retains its historic presence and silent dialogue with the surrounding landscape. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | The service areas maintain a thread of continuity as well. The Omega shower enclosure by Disenia, for example, is a minimalist, visually light design that sits comfortably with the broader intervention. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | Service spaces, such as the bathrooms and kitchen, demonstrate how upgrades for modern comfort respect and enhance the building’s original identity. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | The structure spans three levels. A staircase detail reveals the project’s geometric and material exploration – a layering of languages that synthesizes the nature of the intervention. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | The interiors mainly retain their original layout. New additions focus on improving functionality, connectivity, and overall coherence. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | Gessi’s Perle collection – an expression of the company’s “haute culture” philosophy – is woven into the interior design, where modern additions are balanced with a sense of quiet restraint. Distinguished by their spherical mixers, the faucets reinterpret Italian artisanal traditions through finishes that incorporate Murano glass, natural stone, and metal. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | The building’s significant heritage value required a consistent approach across every scale of the intervention. For the electrical switches, the architects specified the Classic version from Vimar’s Arké series. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | Targeted structural interventions consolidated masonry and floor slabs using steel beams, seismic retrofitting, and specific reinforcements to ensure stability, durability, and structural integrity. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Casale degli Anguillara | New materials integrate with the historic fabric with clarity and balance. Chosen for their chromatic and material neutrality, furnishings, details, and finishes engage with the existing structure. © Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

Location: Viterbo, Italy
Completion: 2025
Gross Floor Area: 706 m²
Architects and Interior Designers: Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo
Main Contractor: Moncelsi

Consultants
Structural: Sergio Collalti
Safety Coordinator: Marco Stefanini
Electrical and Mechanical: Alessandro Abbati
Frescoes Restoration: Marianna Cortesi

Photography: Carlo Oriente, courtesy of Gianluca Graziani, Cristiana Sarapo

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