THE HISTORY

The reincarnation of il Luppolo Nero began in 1995, but its history began some 500 years before as an old farmhouse (and animal stall) of poor contadini, the peasant farmers who worked the land. We can place the approximate age of the house by four factors: (1) the type and style of stonework on the original walls of the house; (2) the thickness of the original internal walls; (3) La Marginetta delle Piastrelle, the small alter located at the top of our hill, between the church and our house, which dates back to the 1500s; and (4) the age of the old olive trees on the property, some of which are estimated to be over 500 years old. According to one of the local architects who has made a study of these houses, the house was probably built in stages, perhaps hundreds of years apart. The oldest part of the house is the present-day living room and dining room, where the animals were once housed. The original entrance to the house, still visible today, is located just outside the present studio, next to the second floor bathroom window.

The house had been abandoned for many years when we acquired it. The roof was intact, but in very poor condition; the inside of the house had been stripped of everything of value and what was left was in such bad condition that it had to be removed and replaced. Plants and weeds from outside had found their way indoors and were growing in abundance. What remained were the original beautiful golden stone walls, completely intact.

The restoration began in June, 1995 and was completed one year later. The task was placed in the hands of Stefano Lazzarini, whose work has been featured in numerous Italian magazines, including Architectural Digest and Case di Campagna ("Country Homes.") With his crew of stonemasons and artisans, many of whom had first worked for his father, Stefano began il Luppolo Nero's transformation Using as much of the original material as possible, including original bricks and roof tiles, the house retains much the same appearance (from the outside) as it would have looked centuries ago.