Meeting Again by the Lake


Torri del Benaco, Garda Lake, Italy

Inspirations

An ancient ruin restored, a great love rebuilt.

Some people prefer to keep the places where they live intact, as they were in the past, not to dissipate the beauty and charm acquired over time. Others progress slowly, step by step, to avoid building something artefactual. They have patience, infinite patience. Because only by waiting it is possible to find – probably - what you are looking for. An entrepreneur living in Torri del Benaco knows it well. His house is a renovated cottage in the hills overlooking Lake Garda, where the climate is mitigated by its mild, fragrant climate. This is where he came to live after waiting a lifetime for a love he never forgot. Here, he found it again. They met on a school trip to Belgrade at the age of 16. She lived there while he had to come back to Italy. After a few years of frequent exchange of letters, and some round-trip train tickets, she decided to end the relationship. She had to finish university, her money was tight, and she could not afford distractions. After forty years, her marriage ended, and she decided to try and reconnect, sending a letter to the old address still etched in her memory. They met again. He had also ended a relationship and had never forgotten her.

Ideas of living

They moved to this lake house, which he had been renovating for years with patience, fantasising about cultivating vineyards, olive groves, and plants to liven up the hectares surrounding the old ruin that was slowly turning into a swan.
The rustic yet elegant environment is well suited to framing this colourful and well-matched picture. The large living room on the ground floor shows the house's social aspect, providing a meeting space for meals, parties, and long family conversations.
 

On the upper floor, there are many bedrooms, different from each other but with the same attention to detail. 400 square metres of “first layer” spruce are laid out on boards of various lengths and widths in a harmonious and continuous movement. The visible stones in rooms and bathrooms, the fir-coated bath—wood from old farms in South Tyrol—and the whitened beams and attic roof stand out to the visitor’s eye, conveying peace and tranquillity.
 


Bottega | Unique | Seasoned


Bottega | Unique | Seasoned


Bottega | Unique | Seasoned


Bottega | Unique | Seasoned


Bottega | Unique | Seasoned


Bottega | Unique | Seasoned


Bottega | Unique | Seasoned


Bottega | Unique | Seasoned


Other references

Energy Efficiency and Biocompatibility

Residential

Designed by arch. Mauro Rivolta

TunnelStudios