Fonte dell’Vsignolo: the name is linked to the place. Because in this small and reserved village in the countryside of Ronciglione, there is a natural spring that flows from a crack in the rock that feeds the tanks that house water lilies, carp and, during the spring season, thousands of tadpoles that form dark spots and furniture at the edges.
At the gates of Ronciglione
To avoid stagnation and unpleasant odors, the water is purified with coal that absorbs impurities without eliminating minerals – Marco revealed to us, telling us how he discovered this place with a magical atmosphere.
The love at first sight for this isolated farmhouse on the outskirts of Ronciglione was triggered when Marco, who is an architect by profession, accompanied one of his clients who had shown the desire to buy a property in the countryside not too far from Rome. The place conquered him to such an extent that he decided to buy and renovate it.
It is an early seventeenth-century building that Marco and Kristina have renovated in the interiors in full respect of the original history and architecture. The knowledge of the trade and the collaboration of local artisans have worked a real miracle. First of all, the systems have been completely redone, which are ecological as they are fed with the peel of the hazelnuts obtained from the cultivation of the land around the estate.
Traditional materials were used for the restoration and the volume was preserved. The homogeneity of the background colors, with the walls painted with fresco painting and morello plaster, unifies the interiors, creating a calm and serene atmosphere between the floors in Renaissance brick, cocciopesto, flagstones and the ancient wood of the floors.
Kristina, who worked in the world of theater as a costume designer at the Berlin Opera, was able to masterfully combine “genres” of different origins and nature, from contemporary pieces to furniture from the ’70s, to some furnishings that originally had an industrial destination.
The garden envelops Fonte dell’Vsignolo as if in an embrace and conveys a delicate country atmosphere to the interiors. Inside the suites, ancient and modern have been combined with personal touches linked to experiences and emotional life: for example, the lanterns and lamps with Moors belong to Marco’s Venetian period.
“Every single piece of furniture – Kristina told us – has its own story. Like the 70s table that I found in a thrift store and every time I sit on the sofa looking at it, I imagine its past lives. Or the 15th century tapestry bought at auction. Or, again, the sculpture placed on the table: a golden snake that my neighbor had and that she gave me because I liked it so much”.
In the Casino d’Anghiari suite, an old Roman carriage called “Barrozza” dominates the ceiling and has lost its function, becoming an installation that strongly characterizes the environment. The apartment is spread over several levels with a large living room with a monumental fireplace and a corner decorated with a “Cardboard”, the preparatory study for the creation of a fresco, a replica of the famous “Battle of Anghiari” painted by Leonardo which gives the name to the suite, while the cozy bedroom is located under the original wooden beam roof.
In the Casino De Basti agricultural tools and a collection of old saddles have been collected: each piece tells its own story but here too there is no lack of contrasts between the peasant past and some iconic pieces of Seventies design. Upstairs, the protagonist is the bathroom with a view from the pool tub in which to immerse yourself while enjoying the view outside through the glass wall.
The suite that welcomed Otto and us is the Casino De Cerchi suite, perfect for those traveling with a dog because it has a small private garden. Inside, under the terracotta vaults, there is a living room with soft colors and natural stone flooring, a spacious bedroom and a bathroom with a large and comfortable shower, hairdryer and ecological toiletries.
Marco Aurelio apartment is ideal for a stay for long periods or for a romantic weekend complete with dinner prepared by a chef to be enjoyed in the large dining room after the aperitif served in the living room dominated by the tapestry hanging on the elegant velvet sofa.
In the bedroom with fireplace and king size bed in the center of the room, everything is painted in creamy white while the trompe l’oeil effect on the walls expands the space even more.
In the living room, shades of lime green, ocher and blue interact with the two-tone checkered floor. Thus, step by step, an idea of city charm is defined, including touches of color, soft lighting, vintage and design pieces, immersed in a fairytale countryside between hazelnut and olive groves and a centuries-old chestnut tree.
Fascinating is the Room of the Sacristy, the private dining room that can be booked for group dinners and romantic rendezvous for two by candlelight and also for cooking classes: an environment of character between the wooden beams of the ceiling, the tuff walls and the original floor where you can see traces of an ancient Roman road.
In our chat, during an aperitif in the living room en plein air among the cats of the house who demanded cuddles and the pleasant flow of the water from the source from which the structure takes its name, Marco and Kristina told us: “We like furniture and accessories period that are both nostalgic and functional at the same time”.
And that is when in the kitchen the sink is a reproduction designed by Marco of an ancient Roman fountain, while the furniture is in solid oak. And in the study leading into the bathroom is an old confessional recovered from a nearby church closed to worship. Everywhere you are surrounded by a theatrical atmosphere. As if a curtain were raised, objects of different nature come to life before the eyes, which despite the variety of their styles manage to establish a harmonious dialogue. The juxtaposition of pieces from different eras strengthens the personality of each one which makes the harmonious coexistence of the whole possible.
The ability of those who renovate and furnish is to suggest the spirit of a place but also leaving a certain margin for the interpretation of those who experience the place as a guest. In this case we are in one of the most beautiful villages of the Viterbo Tuscia, but neither Marco nor Kristina are from Ronciglione and, then, how to communicate the territory? They wanted to give Fonte dell’Vsignolo a delicate and international footprint.
The experiment was successful: a natural contemporary elegance characterizes the softly colored rooms while the geometric designs of the carpets reinforce an idea of sober classicism.
In the village there is also an ancient cellar and a splendid lemon house which acts as a winter garden and breakfast room in the cooler seasons.
Fonte dell’Vsignolo is a refined place in which to experience a harmony of contrasts between the restoration of the seventeenth-century structure and the furnishings recovered before going to the pulp, such as the beautiful printing furniture.
And where respect for the environment is also manifested in the choice of creating soaps, shampoos and shower gels with olive oil and 100% natural ingredients.
Fonte dell’Vsignolo
Strada Provinciale 35 – Ronciglione (Vt)
Info: +39 348 3185105
www.fontedellvsignolo.com – bookings@fontedellvsignolo.com
