Inside Amazing 100-Year-Old Tower Hidden In Italy’s Biggest Botanic Garden
When I was offered to visit this tower hidden in Italy’s biggest botanical garden, it was in the middle of nowhere. Ladies and gentlemen, today’s episode on Design Seed, we will be revealing the inside of this jewel of rare beauty of the past, that questions the lines between its past and the future.
As an interior designer and the host of Design Seed, I’m always in search of amazing or inspiring interior design and architecture content. When I travel across the world, I always look for extraordinary projects to visit. This time around, during our visit to Italy, we came across this captivating project, and that’s what we’re going to share with you today.
Tucked in a tranquil hill of Maiano in Florence, this heritage tower was where I spent 3 nights of an unimaginable stay. Located in the biggest botanical garden in Italy, the Botanic Garden of Fattoria de Maiano, this tower with the name ‘Torre di Maiano’ holds a beautiful story.
Tommaso Miari Fulcis states, “When I was born in Dolomites, because actually my family had a company in Dolomites, and the union between my grandfather and my grandmother created this farm here in Maiano. This farm is one of the biggest botanic gardens in Europe at its station.”
“An Englishman, John Temple Leader, knew that Queen Victoria was coming to visit him, and he was looking to build something that the Queen actually could be attracted to. For this reason, she decided to stop here and to make a watercolor sketch of the place, with its Neo-Gothic architecture,” Tommaso explains.
The tower’s fairytale appearance transports you to a beautiful, dream-like space unlike any other. Designed by an award-winning architect, Simone Micheli has transformed it into a work of art, contrasting its historical exterior with futuristic interiors.
Well preserved for its timeless beauty on the outside, modern and futuristic on the inside. It looks like it came from a fairytale. Florence is known for many things, like its art, architecture and rich heritage, but a little tower remains hidden among its beautiful landscape. I’m so excited to share the scenery of this tower which inspired many artists like Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Located in the biggest botanical garden in Italy, the Botanic Garden of Fattoria di Maiano, this tower holds a beautiful story. With its neo-Gothic architecture, the tower’s fairytale appearance transports you to a beautiful dream-like space unlike any other. Designed by an award-winning architect, Simone Micheli has transformed it into a work of art, contrasting its historic exterior with futuristic interiors.
“When I started to work on the tower, we decided to create one suite with different levels, because we have a ground floor first, second and third, so we decided to create one little kitchen with space to take lunch or dinner on the ground floor. On the first floor, we decided to create one little lounge. At the second floor, the room with a little bathroom and a little spa on the top,” Simone Micheli shared.
Immersed in history and nature, we experience the peace of a dreamlike moment in the present.
“Because this little tower is very famous, where Michelangelo stayed and worked,” Simone Micheli explained.
On the ground level, as you enter through the two portcullis solid doors, a cosy kichen and dining area await your arrival.
The owner explained to us that the mural painted on the wall was an artist impression of the view back in the older days. And in respect to the historical values of such an art piece, the architect decided to maintain the murals as a feature wall.
Simone Micheli said “I believe that, if I remember well, 20 square meters for each floor, so it’s very little. But the amazing story inside is the stairs.”
The most venturesome and captivating part of this tower to me is the 4 storey spiral stone staircase. This medieval staircase is only 3ft in diameter in total, which means the staircase can only allow one and a half ft for 1 person to walk up the stairs.
It may be challenging to move things up and down, but the fact that these staircase still exist today, is fascinating! Imagine how the construction was carried out with such a narrow stairwell.
On the first floor, a spacious living area with high ceiling volume and an interesting constrast of modern furnitures highlights the playfulness of Simon Micheli’s futuristic visions. An interesting blend of the existing concrete cornices from the tower itself merges in a modern tv cabinet in mirror finish pleasantly creates a subtle combination.
Simone Micheli shared, “Then we decided to maintain the old situation, which they wrote on the old wall, or for creating one matching one contrast with the historical situation and the contemporary furniture that I designed. Because, you know, that I designed everything, so I don’t choose from the market for the piece, but I designed all for this space.”
Stepping onto the 2nd floor is a romantic minimalist bedroom, white micro cement flooring with textures, white walls and ceiling arches of the existing tower was maintained and behind the bedhead hides a modern looking minimalist bathroom.
Embracing its history with walls that preserve the signs of time, the bedroom proudly illuminates its rich textures. A modern bathroom draws contrast between past and present as light and shadows dance captivatingly in this space.
It’s fascinating to see how little details from modern days like lightings, glass and mirrors could turn such a rustic gothic building into such a modern space.
Simone Micheli elaborates, “My inspiration starts from the natural. I don’t copy. I understand the spirits. I look at nature, where all is perfect.”
The highlight to the Torre di Maiano has to be this rooftop. The space was designed to be a wellness retreat, a space for spa, bath and relaxation. The existing windows of the towers are less than a feet in size, which allows for sufficient natural lighting yet complementing the privacy needed for the spa. The existing pulley that used to lift the boulders and materials to build the tower, structured to the roof truss of the tower remains as a highlighted feature to the space.
It’s easy to design something modern from a blank piece of paper, but to do what Simone Micheli did in this project, blurring the lines between the past and the present in creating a futuristic interior inside the shell of such a timeless and fomidable rugged architecture is astounding.
Other than the turkish spa on the top floor, the tower also boasts a private outdoor jacuzzi curated for personal wellness. A relaxing open sky retreat that is cocooned in stone walls and lush greenery.
The modern forms of Simone Micheli’s custom-made furniture, paired with the tower’s historical structure, convey the sense of journey through time.
“Big dream in a little tower, because the dream is big. Also, in one little place, it’s possible to create one work of art. So, big dream in one little space, so that people consider it a masterpiece,” Simone Micheli shared.
Thanks to the shared vision of the architect, Simone Micheli, and the owner of Torre di Maiano, their restoration project has transformed the tower into a timeless retreat, with artistic ingenuity. Simone conveys the sense of journey through time in every detail of this little tower. As nature anchors us in the present, we bask in the beauty of yet another jewel of Tuscany.
For more beautiful green houses, check out the R House, a stunning family home surrounded by a swimming pool in tropical modernist design.
Thank you for taking the time to read this Article. Stay tuned for more updates!
