The project for the C01 Boutique Hotel in Sant’Elpidio, Italy, includes the restoration of the north wing of the existing Villa Castellano, dating back to the XVII Century, and the construction of a new building for 5 new apartments dedicated to the guests of the hotel. 

The intervention area is located in the vicinity of the city of Fermo, in the heart of the hilly landscape of the Marche region characterized by extensive vineyards and agricultural crops, a few kilometers from the famous Conero Riviera. 
The entire intervention considers the landscape as the main guiding element of the design choices by emphasizing its peculiarities and by respecting its structure and vegetation.

Villa il Castellano stands on the site of a Roman outpost and a later medieval castle belonging to the archdiocese of Fermo. The central body of the villa and its watchtower date from 1625 while the chapel and the two closing wings dated 1767. A series of rural buildings and a votive chapel complete the built complex. The north wing was involved in substantial restoration works aimed at energy and seismic upgrading of the building and coloring of the facades to unify the built block with the rest of the complex.

The new building follows the course of the existing ground, which was the subject of partial backfilling; the new volume is placed at a lower set point than the rest of the villa and against the back ground of the step of the old lemon hall. The view to the villa is left completely unobstructed; the south façade of the new building imposes itself in the landscape as a transparent glass profile with large windows overlooking the hills. The roof of the new volume is left as a walkable terrace and serves as a connection between the pool area and the lemon house.

The terrace above the new volume becomes the new relaxation area for the hotel guests, nestled in a landscape that evokes the traditional atmosphere of this place over time. Natural materials such as stone and grass shape the new garden paving, large lemon trees recreate the old fruit grove framing views of the surrounding rolling hills.

The horizon of the sea in the distance surrounds every outward view of the hotel, a landscape far removed from time in the tranquility of the countryside.