Reviewed by Lesley Gillilan
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CASTELLO DI VICARELLO - REVIEW
This is the stuff of film sets and fairy tales: half a medieval castle (the other stone tower burnt to a cinder in the 13th century) atop a hill of vines and olive groves. Stone steps lead up to a cobbled courtyard, from which arched doorways open into a labyrinth of dark mysterious rooms. Expect huge sooted fireplaces, stone-flagged floors, vaulted ceilings, arrow-slit windows and enchanting gardens with undulating lawns of cypress and mulberry, beds of rose, lavender and rosemary. On a clear day, you can just see the sea, a line of blue or silver, glinting on the horizon beyond thick forest.
The castello has been a holiday home to Aurora and Carlo Baccheschi Berti since 1978. They converted an outbuilding (the villa, Chiesina, is now one of 6 amazing suites), but the tower remained a ruin until they turned it into a retreat for stressed out fast-laners. After restoration, a labour of love, they stuffed the place with treasures (glass, brass, books, curios, exotic art, dark oak and dripping votive candles). They added 2 ozone-treated pools and a spa. The rest, as they say, is history. |