In Rome, the re-enchanted gardens of the Villa Medici

LeMonde

3 days ago

According to the director, Sam Stourdzé, whose term ends this summer and who is seeking reappointment, "the citrus trees are part of the 'Re-enchanting the Villa' project." He launched this ambitious program when he arrived in 2020, with the aim of refreshing the site. At the end of 2022, the salons – where fellows hold work meetings but also host receptions, concerts and lectures – were renovated under the artistic direction of Italian fashion house Fendi, with support from the Mobilier National, France's national furniture collections and workshops. In 2023, India Mahdavi reimagined six historic rooms, three of which are open to the villa's 140,000 annual visitors.
In early June, amid Rome's sweltering heat, the results of the third chapter of this "re-enchantment" were unveiled: the opening of six guest rooms, known as "de la passerelle," created by designer-artisan duos following a call for entries; the lemon grove, designed by landscape architect Bas Smets in collaboration with chief architect of historic monuments Pierre-Antoine Gatier; and, facing the splendid façade lined with antiquities, the parterre garden, where 20 Tuscan pots containing rare citrus trees have been installed, born from a collaboration between Japanese ceramist Natsuko Uchino and French writer Laura Vazquez.
Of course, the six new guest rooms inspire dreams, and it is a pleasure to admire the wall evoking Leonardo da Vinci's sfumato in a fresco reimagined by Studio GGSV, the beautiful sobriety of the design by Eliane Le Roux and Miza Mucciarelli, and Constance Guisset's ship's cabin. For each project, architects and designers worked closely with exceptional artisans, thanks to major support from the Bettencourt Schueller Fondation, which is particularly active in the field of craftsmanship.