HOTEL IN PIETRA | giuseppe andrisani

An exclusive and original boutique hotel where contemporary multi-ethnic and minimalist design harmonizes with the past of tufo and roccia (stone) from Sassi di Matera The Hotel in Pietra has been constructed against a backdrop of the fascinating and suggestive scenarios of Sassi di Matera. It is located in a complex urban district characterized by geological, architectonic and cultural stratifications which date back to neolithic times and in 1993, designated by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. It is a sort of shelter hidden in the ‘city of stone’ where comfort and hospitality reign in an intimate ambience in close contact with nature. It offers guests an exceptional experience of psycho-physical wellness. The Hotel in Pietra, inaugurated in January 2008, was invented and managed by Roberto Cristallo. The hotel was created in one of the oldest churches of Sasso Barisano, the Church of St. John the Elder. This was the parish Church from 1174 until it was transferred in 1695 to the current Church of St. John the Baptist. Following its conversion into private dwellings, the building was left in a state of total abandonment until a few years ago. It was violated by desecrators and was the subject of numerous structural transformations which managed to save the symbol of the Holy Sacrament, the only clear element indicating the former destination of this ancient place of worship. The architectonic project was designed by the italian architects Giuseppe and Michele Andrisani, who preserved the original identity. It is a revisitation in a modern key of a structure typical of Sassi di Matera: an urban landscape that is partly invisible with sheer drops, where there is succession of coexisting natural grottos, underground architecture, cisterns, enormous entrenched enclosures, farms, churches and buildings, all of which have been excavated and built in tufo stone since the bronze age onwards. The restructuring preserved the original format of the ambiences that develop on a single floor. These surround the ancient crypt of the church, which originally had three aisles, partly constructed and partly excavated in the tufo stone with a large apse to the rear. The architects were committed to reclaiming and preserving the original architectonic elements such as cisterns and caves, in addition to using the natural materials such as tufo and stone. They took the local building construction traditions into consideration, preserving the visible tufo stone walls and the flooring in the warm and variegated shades of the chianche stone, the coatings of the wells and cisterns with the crushed coccio pesto stone, typical of the area. With great ability and skill, the architects were able to combine local materials and building construction techniques with modern technology and materials. The interior design is very sleek and extremely classy. The project was created by italian designer Giuseppe and Michele Andrisani, who completed and personalized the architectonic project with an elegant touch to produce something that harmonizes perfectly with the existing context. The nature of stone, of the tufo, the geological sediments, with their warm colors, undulated surfaces, irregular shapes were architets’s powerful inspiration in her design for the interiors, the coatings and the furnishings where everything was geared to the creation of a warm welcoming ambience. The features of the city of Matera are also reflected in the building structure of the hotel where geological, architectonic and age-old cultural stratifications live side-by-side. In the interior design, the period furniture and the different countries – Italy, Colombia, Cuba, Brazil and Cina – interface and compete to produce a multi-ethnic style as varied as the hotel’s guests themselves. The interior design reflects the soul of the designer and the environment but also communicates its core message, thanks partly to the personalization of every fine detail in the project. Many of the furnishings designed by Andrisani, have been custom built in Brazil by local craftsmen. The same applies to the doors installed inside, the wooden furniture upholstered with pony-skin, the stone basins in the washrooms, the flooring, the hand-embroidered bed linen – all items that have been personalized to make their contribution to the special, almost magical ambience. “I designed the hotel’s interior design as though it was my own home – explained Giuseppe Andrisani – I wanted to make my personal contribution to this hotel that is determined to provide the guests with the very best. By this I do not mean the best or rather the most expensive the market can offer, but the best in terms of concept, atmosphere. Staying here will prove to be a positive physical and psychological experience. My husband is the typical Italian male from the south of the country. Hospitality is in his blood and I just gave a shape to his special gift of warmth”. Lighting also had an extremely important role in the project: natural light was exploited to the full; take for example Suite 1003 where the bathroom on the ground floor is illuminated by means of a glass ceiling which becomes the flooring of the next level; artificial illumination was used to create scenographic effects through the interaction of warm and soft lighting that highlight the architectonic features of the structure in tufo stone, the irregular shapes and the undulated details of the stone, the alcoves, the natural cisterns, the columns and the arches belonging to the existing structure. This pleasant welcoming ambience was also created with the skillful use of a variety of colors – sand, beige, brown and green – and the natural materials selected such as wood, tufo stone, stone hide and fibers – linen for the bedcover, cotton for the sofas and the cushions, coconut fiber for the curtains and rugs. Glass and crystal were used in the parapets of the balconies and the stairwells to avoid interrupting the general views of the ambiences. Each bedroom is different to the others; however, they all ooze the same sensations of hospitality, comfort, class, intimacy and even spirituality – almost evoking the existing church. The words “Queridos hóspedes” (“Dear guests” in Portuguese) have been embroidered on the sheeting of every bed and this summarizes the philosophy of the Hotel in Pietra – it is something to be enjoyed and experienced and not just interpreted.