Ferragamo had to rebuild the vineyards, game preserve and village and the infrastructure of bridges and roads crossing the property’s four river valleys. He turned Il Borro into a self-supporting estate. The reorganization has generated employment for families, some with a generational involvement in the agricultural landscape.
Dotted among the vineyards, orchards and fields are paddocks, a driving range, a winery, an art gallery, a landing strip, swimming pools and a polo field. There are facilities for cooking classes and wine tastings and preserves for ballooning and mountain biking.
Ferragamo planted five varieties of grapes over 100 acres, and Il Borro now produces 200,000 bottles a year, plus a small production of grappa. Seven thousand olive trees yield olive oil. The farm now rotates intensive crops of wheat, sunflowers, corn, legumes and even lavender. Mmm must smell nice!
A bridge connects the estate to the medieval village, built on an ancient spur of rock over the remains of a fortress dating to 1040.
For the entrance hall, Ilaria Ferragamo chose antiques such as a 17th-century table and an Aubusson rug.
French doors are a new addition to the large living room of the 14,725-square-foot house. The coffered ceiling is the work of artisans whose craft, along with that of others in the village, has been revived in part by Ferruccio Ferragamo’s efforts to support local trades and skills that go back generations.
The walls and ceiling of the master bedroom were painted in a typical Tuscan style by Maddalena Cavina, a Florentine trompe l’oeil artist whose work appears throughout the villa. A Rubelli fabric covers the chaise longue.
The conservatory, where 18th-century birdcages form part of the décor, opens to gardens designed by Ilaria Ferragamo.
Photography by Mads Mogensen
All images and information from Architectural Digest.
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