Between the hills and the lake

Lovere is a village at the north end of Lake Iseo, in the Province of Bergamo. Caressed by the gentle, clear waters of the lake, it nestles in the protective embrace of the green, green hills that surround it. And it is here, at the heart of the village, that the architects Alberto Marini and Giuseppe Morina have overseen an ambitious renovation project. A fifteenth-century town house has been transformed, with a private apartment occupying the top two floors above a guest house, the “Casa del Porto”, whose light-filled rooms and cheerful interiors are like something out of a fairy tale. On the side facing the mountain, a ventilated cavity has been carved out that provides light to the guest rooms and a splendid view of the old stone walls. On the first floor, meanwhile, the cave formed in the fifteenth century when the tufo stone was taken as a building material has been repurposed as a mini spa for the guests and owner. Together with the architects, the designers at Zenucchi Design Code have created a building that just bristles with surprises, exquisite details and memorable moments.

For instance, the way the waters of the magical lake illuminate the intimate, idiosyncratic apartment. In the loft is a day area, with the kitchen and a terrace overlooking the water. Below, there is the sleeping area and a study that serves as the reception for the bed and breakfast. A lift takes us up to the apartment, with its floor of heat-treated oak boards and whitewashed beams in the ceiling. A vibrant light filters in from the windows. Calmly, it embraces the furnishings, with their subtle variants of white, caressing statuesque tables and light fittings reminiscent of the bubbles blown by a child. The kitchen – with its matt units and glossy verticals – is nominally by Varenna, but has been designed ad hoc for the space. The large, angular White sofa is by Rodolfo Dordoni (Minotti). The rug is a family heirloom, and the large, iron-framed tabled is attentively surrounded by Hola chairs by Hannes Wettstein (Cassina). Works of art are placed directly on the floor; the stools are robust and brazen. All is light, all is elegance.

So too with the sleeping area, and the intimate, romantic master bedroom with its fabric-upholstered bed and leather-topped Bob side tables by Massaud (2006, Poltrona Frau). The regular rhythms of the Storage walk-in closet (Porro) are housed discretely behind glass doors and silhouetted suggestively by LED lamps. Then there are the bathrooms, with their pure lines and high-grade materials, most prominently the Fatima limestone from Portugal, which has been installed expertly and with reverent care by specialist artisans. A stone that reflects light, for a home that speaks its own life story, the story of an old town house with its cave and its stone walls; the story of a modern, elegant, immortal apartment.