Castagneto Po, Italy Rabat, Malta
Old meets new The Palace of the Countess once belonged to Countess Zimmerman Barbaro, a Maltese noblewoman. It hosted members of Maltese high society, and may have seen the arrival of Napoleon, who (treacherously) conquered Malta in 1798. In 1970s, it was to be a clergy retirement home, but is now a luxurious haven, where old meets new. The kitchen has cutting-edge design by Antonio Citterio, but the dining room is in traditional Maltese style. A glass floor in the roofed courtyard (which doubles as a ballroom for up to 60 people) gives glimpses of the informal basement sitting room, but on the piano nobile, the 20ft-high salon exudes period grandeur. There is a meditation room, a hammam, a bar and staff quarters. Outside, there are lush gardens and a green-and-gold mosaic swimming pool that is lit at night. The price is in excess of €5 million through Wetag Consulting (00 41 91 751 3106;
www.wetaginternational.com).
www.countrylife.co.uk/international
In Carla Bruni' s wake Perched up on the Turin hills, the estate of Castagneto Po has surveyed this idyllic corner of the Piedmontese countryside since the 11th century. It was first mentioned in a document dating from 1019, and has since belonged to dukes (Vittorio Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy), treasurers (Count Giovanni Antonio Trabucco, who obtained it from the Duke of Savoy) and many generations of aristocrats (the Counts of Ceriana). However, what gives Castagneto Po particular international glamour today is the latest set of ownersÐ the Bruni Tedeschi. This Piedmontese family, who made their fortune in tyre manufacturing, is better known outside Italy for the two beautiful daughters of the house: actress and film-maker Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, and her even more celebrated sister, Carla Bruni Sarkozy, wife of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The castle, which was the family' s summer residence, is nearly as hand- some as the beauties that once called it home. Rebuilt in the 19th century, it was given a neo-Gothic facelift by archi- tect Ernesto Melano. Inside, some of the 40 rooms have been decorated by 19th-century artists Francesco Gonin and Costantino Sereno, but the interiors, which span some 2,000sq m, retain many original features, including fres- coes, grand fireplaces and antique floors. The building is set in 70 hectares (173 acres) of grounds, the style of which was conceived by landscape designer Saverio Kurten and laid to orchards, flowered terraces and English-style park- land. Castagneto Po is now for sale through Immobilsarda, an associate of Christie' s International Real Estate (00 39 0789 909000;
www.immobilsarda.com).
Country Life International, Summer 2011 57
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