Step into Emanuele and Raimonda Gamna's dream Italian villa
At the foot of the Italian Alps and just a few minutes from Turin, the graceful villa of Emanuele and Raimonda Gamna stands as a symbol of aristocratic charm.
Named after the Marquess of Barolo, who built it in 1785, Vigna Barolo mixes 18th-century classicism with neo-gothic romance and French chic with Sicilian colour, thanks to the cosmopolitan culture of those who've cherished it down the years.
Along with a chapel and even a miniature castle, the grounds boast formal terraces designed in the 1950s by Russell Page, a British landscaper known as the ''Mozart of gardens''.
Meanwhile, the dazzling vision of Renzo Mongiardino – who created interiors for 20th-century tycoons Aristotle Onassis and Gianni Agnelli – is on display inside.
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Emanuele and Raimonda Gamna, who acquired the villa as their country retreat in 2007, have known and loved it since childhood. ''We were both friends of the family who owned it," Raimonda says.
''Emanuele’s first visit was in 1968, on a sunny winter’s day after heavy snowfall; it was like a fairy tale. My own first memory is of the vintage roses.''
"Raimonda, a descendant of the princely Sicilian house of Trabia, and her husband, a renowned lawyer and author of The Importance of Being an Agnelli, are joined here by Raimonda's daughter Ottavia Casagrande as they show us around their extraordinary home.
Raimonda, what changes have you and Emanuele made at Vigna Barolo?
"We have refurnished it completely with our own things, but without altering its spirit. In this region, Piedmont, there is a lot of French influence.
Emanuele is from here and has brought that with him, so everything in the house has a gentle touch, which I like. I've brought lots of colour, as well as some heirlooms from my father's palazzos in Sicily."
Your parents, Raimondo Lanza Branciforte di Trabia and actress Olga Villi, were introduced by film-maker Luchino Visconti, and their own story sounds like a movie. But sadly, your father died before you were born...
"Yes, so I really treasure the things of his that I own. I was born in Rome, and have spent less time than I would have liked in his native Sicily, but I did spend many childhood summers on the island, where I inherited my father's adored Castello Lanza Di Trabia.
"It's an incredibly beautiful Renaissance monument by the sea, the place I have loved most in my whole life. It really pained me when, in 2000, I had to sell it."
What is it that you love most here at Vigna Barolo?
"I devote myself to the garden, pouring all my creativity into it."
Emanuele, where and when were you and Raimonda first introduced?
"It was back in 1970, when we were just teenagers. We met at a New Year’s Eve party thrown by the daughters of Maria Sole Agnelli, Countess Teodorani; it was in a mountain resort."
It wasn’t until much later that you became a couple... what is your life together like now?
"A nightmare! We fight each other and we adore each other. Seriously, we’ve been together for 40 years, so we're quite complementary. My strength has always been dealing with administration, money and housekeeping, while my wife's is imagination.
"What we both love is being surrounded by family and visitors."
What does this place mean to you?
"It is exactly what we envisaged: a refuge from any threat, a self-sufficient world where everything is in balance. In fact, it is a true image of us.
"Although we’ve kept all of its beautiful features, it's different from how it was when we arrived. More welcoming – but perhaps also more impressive."
What are your favourite corners of the property?
"Outside, I'd choose the white bench on the lawn overlooking the 500-year-old Lebanon cedars; it's so peaceful there.
"Inside, it would be the library we've built in the attic, which is like a storeroom over flowing with memories as well as books, books, books..."
What hopes do you have for the future?
"Simply that this little piece of paradise may be ours for another 30 years. But perhaps that is too much to ask."
Ottavia, you studied drama at London's Goldsmiths College before becoming a stage actress. Do you think you inherited your talent from your grandmother Olga?
"I remember as a child going to her performances and being taken backstage. She was a very elegant and mysterious lady, so naturally she made a big impression on me.
"But these days, I'm a fan of more avant-garde theatre. Every summer I direct the Sciaranuova theatre festival, held at the Planeta winery on the slopes of Sicily'sMount Etna."
You're also a journalist and video producer, and have collaborated with your mother on two books dedicated to the legendary figure of your grandfather Raimondo. How did that come about?
"She always used to reflect on the fact that she had never met him, and I understood that that had great significance for her. "So I decided to sit down and write his story. I did it for her."
