Gaetano Besana has known Villa Besana all his life. His great-grandfather inherited the house in 1896, and since then it has been passed down through the generations – to Gaetano’s grandfather, his father and finally to him and his three brothers. When Gaetano was a young boy, he visited his grandmother here every summer and spent hours outside in the gardens, climbing trees and fishing in a tiny boat on the pond. The villa dates from 1700 and is painted in a typically Italian shade of pink, punctuated with painted wooden shutters.
Despite its beauty, it’s the surrounding countryside that enchants Gaetano. Nestled in the hills of the village of Sirtori in the picturesque Montevecchia Regional Park and Curone Valley, it’s an undeniably idyllic spot. ‘Living in the country means sharing the rhythms of nature and being deeply connected with the circle of life,’ he says.
Up until 1999, Gaetano worked as a fashion photographer – often shooting models outside, in dreamy locations. Fifteen years ago, he decided to move from Milan and set up permanent residence here, in what had been his family’s holiday home. So inspired was he by his surroundings, that Gaetano has created an organic farm and guesthouse nearby – keen to spend as much time outside as possible.
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Gaetano’s set up in the villa is perhaps an unusual one, but it works. His father inherited the property in the 1980s and carved the house into seven individual apartments, including one for each of his four sons – who all decorated them according to their interests.
Gaetano’s is on the ground floor, occupying what would have been the reception rooms of the grand house. ‘I wanted to create the same atmosphere in the home that exists outside in the garden. My idea was to bring nature inside,’ says Gaetano of his lush, botanic scheme. ‘Six years ago I was lucky enough to meet an American artist, Khara Ledonne, who frescoed one of the walls of the living area in the style of the 16th-century gardens at Medici Villa in Florence.’
The look is furthered with a display of 19th-century plates, arranged on the wall, ceramic birds that perch on the candelabra and artworks by the 16th-century German botanist and engraver Basilius Besler.
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What’s so special about the villa is that, because it has been in his family for over a century, Gaetano knows much of its history. This includes understanding the reason for the lack of central heating in the house when his father took it on in the 1980s: ‘My grandfather had donated all the metal pipes and radiators to the Italian state to help fund the First World War,’ says Gaetano.
Besides the countryside, Gaetano’s other passion is preserving history. ‘I want to keep the past alive,’ he says. ‘I love bringing historical things back to life, whether that’s gardens, farmland or buildings.’ There’s no doubt that his apartment (which is just 160sq m) is filled with charm, character and life. With its heirloom furniture, artworks and lush colour scheme, it’s proof that a more modestly sized space needn’t be whitewashed and minimal.
