How do you compare an 8th century abbey to a modern wine cellar that looks like a Turtle?
On visiting both of these very different masterpieces they made me realise the depth of scale in two very dissimilar worlds and yet are brilliant and absolutely magnificent.
A visit to Il Carapace in the countryside of Umbria not far from the Medieval village of Bevagna was an extraordinary insight into a family’s dream of having a winery that is also a treasure chest for wine. The Lunelli ‘s collaboration with the Architect Arnaldo Pomodoro celebrates a century of history of the Ferrari winery.
The result is an absolutely unique work of art, a sculpture where it is possible to live and work; a place in which art and nature, sculpture and wine intermingle. On entering the Turtle shell “Carapace” you immediately recognize the internal vaulted ceiling with its triangular angles and complex shapes – the upper floor is for wine tastings and functions and opens out onto a wide lawn facing the vineyard and Umbrian valley. Down the staggeringly beautiful circular stair takes you to the barrel cellar where the wine is stored in a cool circular room, lit with lights that again throw triangular shapes on the ceiling. Through large sliding doors is the working part of the winery where the grapes are delivered and ‘dealt with to start the fermentation process.
The Turtle is the ancient symbol for stability and longevity. The big dome covered with copper is engraved on the outside with cracks that resemble the furrows of the earth and will eventually turn green.
This is a very new place where art, wine and nature have all been integrated and I can certainly recommend it and in fact it’s a must when visiting Umbria.
And yet a visit to Sant’Antimo 8 km from Montalcino in Tuscany has a similar ‘Wow’ effect. This is not the first time I have visited the abbey and back in 2008 my sister and I walked through the countryside via a walking track – took a wrong turn and scaled a steep hillside to reach the church rather exhausted and hot. We arrived in time to hear the monks sing very moving Gregorian chants in their white hooded gowns
Although it is not huge, the perfect scale and proportions of this ancient abbey, which has been inhabited by Benedictine monks from the early 12th century have to be admired. The abbey’s origins actually stretch back much further in time and is said to have been founded in the 9th century at the time of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, who is credited with founding the chapel.
Even though over the years it became extremely dilapidated and several of the buildings around the cloister collapsed. It wasn’t until 1870 that a lengthy restoration campaign got under way and the architect Giuseppe Partini restored the church to the condition in which we can admire and love to visit.
So from very modern to very ancient both of these visits were a real treat.