Rocchetta Mattei Medieval Arabesque
Rocchetta Mattei, among the Appennini that divide Toscana from Emilia Romagna is a castle like building reminescent of medieval and arab culture. It's a mixture of many more styles actually. This strange architectures where visioned by Conte Cesare Mattei in the 1850 when the first stone was layed.
In the 1895 Cesare Mattei was living there with the construction in progress that he followed for all his life. The castle has seen rough time after Mattei passed away. The second world war brought serius damages to the structure and after the family gifted the building to Bologna council wich refused the offer. In 1959 it was bought by Stefanelli wich put as an objective to repair it with the money coming in from the side wich he made work like an hotel. Though 1989 he died and everything went abandoned. Only in 2006 the Bank of Bologna bought the building and it's now open to the public since 2015.
After all the misfurtunes and some evident modern restauration you can still feel the mystic and crazy soul of this place. It feels like one of the most elegant alchemyst lab from your high fantasy novel. It's very real and at the same time far out. The most enchanting room I found was the church with it being the most symmetrical room but the architect and Mattei dropped the illusion of it being the most asymettrical by using black and white stripes to confuse those who walk in.
The whole place felt dreamy even the gardens outside had something to tell.
If you happen around the middle of Italy I highly reccomend to come here and visit. It's isn't unique with it mashed up style, close to Firenze you may find San Mezzano Castle wich follow this style. But for the most part of the year is closed down wich is why I haven't had yet the luck to visit that place too.
I leave you with some more pictures of Rocchetta Mattei and wish you a nice weekend :D
