Reinterpretation of the garden with pool and orchard insertion
currentstatus
The property extends for approximately 4,300 m2 and develops on a false level descending in a south-westerly direction. The height difference between the highest point of the garden on the north corner and the lowest part on the opposite corner is 5.5 metres.
The house is placed 1 m below the entrance to the property and therefore partially embedded in the ground at the rear, while it is up to 1 m above the ground level at its front end.
Opposite to the entrance is the adjoining garage, partially open onto the landscape thanks to the walls made with sunscreens, from which the body of the house can be reached via a covered passage.
The sides of the property facing east and north are bordered by roads with little traffic, while the other sides of the garden face the surrounding landscape and enjoy greater privacy.
The house opens onto the panorama from south to west and enjoys a splendid view of the surrounding countryside. For this reason, the house has large double-height glass walls to fully enjoy the view.
A high portico leans against the north-west side and constitutes the most private part of the house. The portico then widens into a large double-height span that overlooks the panorama, a reinterpretation of ancient barns.
The garden slopes naturally in front of the double-height window to reach 3m below the house at the property boundary.
Owners'requests
Reflect idea followed for the house also in the garden the design, with a rarefied design that reinterprets the style of the traditional country house in a modern key.
Conceive a sustainable and ecological garden, without free concessions to decoration, following the same design philosophy espoused for the construction of the house.
Give priority to the presence of trees and grassy areas, limiting the variety of plant species used.
Include a pool design in the project.
Provide a space to be used as an orchard.
Garden design
Each element of the garden must find its raison d’être in a specific function performed, avoiding embellishment for its own sake and reinterpreting the archetypes of the traditional rural landscape.
The escarpment currently located at the back of the house, near the local road, will be set back 3 m towards the border, creating a grassy strip to flank the existing cobblestones.
Fastigiate oak specimens (Quercus robur ‘Fastigiata’) will be planted on the shelf opposite the fence, creating a filter between the street and the back of the house. Large evergreen shrubs will be used to shield the view of the garden from cars traveling on the municipal road on the south-east side, without therefore precluding the view of the countryside from the house.
A second filter on the east side will consist of the orchard, which will be placed in the most exposed area of the property, i.e. between the garage and the adjacent streets.
The private garden will develop on the sides beyond the building body of the house.
The north-west side of the garden is the most reserved, and has a sloping slope towards the house. Here, in addition to the major slope located near the border on the road side, other small differences in height of 50 cm in height will be created, which will allow the creation of three large flat terraced areas, the last of which is located at the level of the house and in direct communication with the grassy strip running along the back of the house.
The terraces thus created will be occupied by a flowery meadow as in the fields left uncultivated, and marked by the presence of grasses and tree elements with a distinctly vertical bearing such as the cypress (Cupressus sempervirens ‘Fastigiatum’). The same trees will be placed in dialogue with the high colonnade of the portico, to create the necessary mix between architecture and garden.
A flat area of about 200 mq will be created at the level of the staircase that descends from the porch into the garden. Here specimens of mulberry (Morus platanifolia ‘Fruitless’) traditionally linked to the silkworm industry will be planted, to create a shady outdoor convivial area from which the pool area, located on the same floor, will also be accessible.
The swimming pool constitutes the continuation towards the landscape of the house and, faithful to the conceived setting, it will emerge as if from under the house. It is proposed to emphasize the stretch of the body of water towards the countryside by extending it towards the border and flanking it with a typical element of the rural landscape near the water such as the cypress poplar (Populus nigra ‘Italica’). The marked visual orientation of the pool culminates with the infinity part, which appears suspended over the countryside towards the promontories on the horizon.
The last element of the garden will be the space furthest from the house and therefore more reserved. Here, below the orchard and in communication with the stretch of water of the pool, other typical elements of the rural landscape will be used such as willows (Salix alba ‘Tristis’), traditionally placed along the canals and used to create wicker products and garden fences.
A thin tongue of water will flow from the pool and, bordered by willows, will culminate in a paved area in the center of which a ground fountain will be placed. In this part of the garden, in the shade of the willows and accompanied by the gentle roar of the water, you will spend your moments of greatest rest in solitude.
