By Giuseppe Rinaldini

Over the last few years many of the people that we have met from around Piobbico or Urbania have told us various differing accounts concerning the removal of the “Key stone” or Crest that sat above the archway entrance of Castello dei Pecorari.

Whichever version is the truth, they all seem to have one common factor –that the stone was removed without authorisation from the then owners, and it is reputed to now be in the hands of a regionally based restaurateur.

Old photos  – often taken from a distance – gave us some indication of what the original keystone looked like but they were often indistinct or too general for us to get an accurate understanding of what it looked like.

Recently however Giusseppe Rinaldi’s contacted us through the blog and sent us some wonderful photographs of the castel and the archway  – reproduced with his permission here – that show the keystone in place as recently as 2000. The evidence that the stone was in place so recently, confirms our suspicion that the stone was stolen from the castle, as certainly at the time of our purchase in early 2006, we enquired of the then owners of its whereabouts, and all were adamant that it had been removed without their permission.

As we rebuild the castle, we would wish to be able to restore the keystone to the arch – it is such an important architectural feature of the Castello, and an integral part of the project.

If any of you reading this blog can help us to identify its current resting place or even discuss with the current holder our desire to re-take possession and install it back in its rightful place, then we would be most grateful

proposed wind farm

Our project manager, Antonio Marconi has just sent us sketches of a potential wind farm that could be placed along the ridge to the north of the castle.

And we’re in a bit of a dilemma.

Firstly of course we were unaware of the proposals for the wind farm, and a little surprised that the Commune of Piobbico had not alerted us to the proposal earlier or sought our views.

Secondly both Francesca and I are very keen to embrace new, more efficient and more sustainable sources of energy wherever possible. Indeed wehave had long and detailed discussions about the options open to us for heating and electricity as we build the castle, and our preference is to make the hotel as eco-friendly as possible.

But  - and here is the rub  - where the wind farm is being proposed is the nearest ridge line to the hotel. That means that they are not only in plain sight, but they are the first thing you see. They will dominate the immediate surroundings. Furthermore, these wind turbines are not quiet. They generate signficant noise as the massive blades turn through the air.

And so here is the dilemma. Do we support the project becuse it is good for the region and will produce efficient and sustainable energy or do we oppose it because of the signficat impact it will ae on the ambience, tranquility and vistas of the hotel. The awful truth is that unless guests have the tranquility they seek, unless we can differentiate oursleves from other hotels by offering unspoilt views over the surrounding country side, then the project is simply not viable. You can guarantee that reviews would say “Wonderful hotel, exemplary service, shame about the proximity of the wind turbines”, or something similar. A key part of our marketing proposition is the seclusion, the lack of outside noise or interference and the unspoiled views.

Whilst is seem hypocritical to say we support green energy providing it does not impact us, the reality is that a wind farm on the ridge closest to the hotel would not only impact the value of the real estate, it would completely undermine the viability of the project.

So regretfully it is not something that we feel we can really support.

Owing to the decision by the Banca Etruria to amend the terms of the loan proposal, we have not been able to accept their offer, and so rather than beginning work on the main hotel ground works has we had originally hoped, we are now undertaking a critical first phase, focused on bringing water, electricity, access and a site office together. We will do this by focusing on rebuilding the small church which lies at one end of the courtyard.

This gives us a number of option and advantages. Whilst we work on refinancing the main build, this ensure that we have can continue to progress the project. The intention is to eventually re-consecrate the church and use it for weddings.  It is a reasonable size – about 90 sq  metres over 2 floors – a ground floor and a basement  where we will also create 2 ensuite rooms in what would have been the crypt.

During the main hotel build we will use the ground floor of the church as a site office, and the basement as temporary accomodation, which in time will become staff accommodation. When the hotel is complete (Phase 4) then the office will revert to a church.

The work requires us to relay and surface the access road,, wich although we had done a basic job 3 years ago the weather had washed most of the top cover away, making access difficault.

Next we then created what will become the service access road for the castle. Because the main gateway is too narow for vehicle access, we need to allow service lorries – which during the build will mean site access – to make delieveries and collections. So we have planning permission to create a small side road, around the edge of the cicrular tower, and then build a small underground service area and car park underneath the main courtyard.

The side of the hill falls away dramatically from beneath the castle walls, so putting a side road in was always going to require some substantial engineering. Large steel piles were driven deep into the rock, and then on top of this an intricate mesh and concrete structure was laid, to provide the foundation for the road. you can see the tops of the piles in the picture to the left.

Once this was completed, the team began work on excavting the church foundations, and establishing the groundworks, which is the subject of my next post!

The benefit of this is that it is a relatively short option, meaning that work can begin straight away, and depending on weather should only take about 3 months

Italia Article

Our project to rescue Castello dei Pecorari has been featured in ITALIA! Magazine.

Every month the magazine features a region of Italy, and presents an in-depth assessment of the property market, what it is like to live there or the challenges of mvoing and setting up home in that region.

This month the region featured was Le Marche, and Marco and Francesca were profiled as a couple who had recently bought a propertyin the region. In the article they share their expereinces, the help they have had from Paradise Possible and Cesare Belpassi of Pegasus and their delight at being so warmly welcomed by all those they have met.

To find out more about the magazine or the article, have a look at ITALIA!’s website

Trying to fit in all the different permutations yet retain our focus in developing a hotel that is a sanctuary from the bustle of day to day life, that provides luxury and style yet clearly is sympathetic to the more simple mediaeval period is a challenge. The devil is always in the detail and our challenge this month has been to try and take the existing boundaries left by the ruined walls, and work with Jane Goff and Antonio Marconi to translate that into a detailed space plan that gives us the facilities, the number of rooms, the staff access that we need to make the hotel viable and yet also meets the guidelines of the Bell Arti – Italy’s version of the British National Trust.

Of course critical for us is the number of bedrooms and suites that we can have. Since the main metric used to asses the financial viability for any hotel is driven by Revenue per available Room (or REVPAR), the number, type and size of rooms will drive the financial viability of our plans.

As we work with Jane and Antonio to maximise the potential of the space, yet not lose the uniqueness of the castle its thick walls and cool interiors, we must also create a look and feel that will be acceptable to the Belle Arti. We are continuing to refine the detail of our plans to ensure that we find that balance and ensure that we deliver a hotel that you will never want to leave!

And so far it is all going to plan!

Our first major milestone though is our meeting with the Belle Arti at the end of May, and so all our energy and focus is now on ensuring that we have thought of every detail, every nuance and can present to them a complete plan and vision for Castello dei Pecorari as a luxury Hotel and Spa

As a guest, your first impression will be of the estate and the view of the castle as you arrive. So we want to make sure that we capture a little bit of the magic that you will experience during your stay, and integrate this into the design for the landscaping outside of the castle walls.

Our vision is to clear and prune back what has, over the years, become an entangled and overgrown mass of woodland and bushes, and in its place to create an appropriate design that supplements the existing trees and gardens with some creative planting and landscaping. We want to create a design that is sympathetic to both the local region but also to what you will experience as a guest.

Part of our discussions have been whether we will be allowed to have a Pool, given the historic importance of the castle to the local landscape, and whether that pool should be inside or outside of the castle walls. Other discussions have been how best to create areas to escape and find solitude, yet still allow us to retain some flexibility over how we use them.

All of this detailed planning needs expert advice, and we were fortunate to find Simon Corkhill and his business partner James XXXX from the local Le Marche firm of “Giardini e Piscine”. Simon And James’ portfolio of creating stunning designs that integrate pools, formal gardens and informal spaces together with their enthusiasm and flexibility made them quickly fit in to our expanding team of experts and advisors.

We met up with Simon and James during our site visit in February, and together with our Project Manager and architect, Ingr Antonio Marconi, we were able to evaluate possible locations for the pools, the challenge of where best to establish the car park without running the landscape and the key areas that would need designing.

None of this can happen unless the people who have designed the hotel have thought about the customer experience from the beginning of the planning process. This means thinking about the flow of guests around the hotel, and just as importantly the route staff take as they go about their business. We want them enhance rather than detract from your enjoyment, and the best way to ensure this is to plan it from the very beginning of the project.
To make sure that our vision for the hotel is realised and to help you as our potential guest to form an emotional attachment to Castello dei Pecorari, we decided to employ one of Europe’s leading experts in Small Luxury Hotel design to advise us in this critical and preliminary stage.

Jane Goff Associates have a formidable reputation for identifying the smallest detail – those crucial little things that will make your enjoyment and experience of a hotel so memorable – and translating those into firm plans.

We invited Jane and her team out to Piobbico on a site visit to meet with our Project Manager and architect, Ingr. Antonio Marconi and to help her understand the magical feel of the Castle, its position, its views, the region and its potential.

As we work hard to pull all our ideas into detailed Plans, Jane Goff and her team will from an integral part of our project team and, judging by results so far, we are excited by what we hope to achieve.

We had agreed that we would complete the purchase at the back end of the year, once Francesca had given birth and was able to travel again. But in the intervening period, we were going to push on and clear rubble form the site, so that Antonio and his team could conduct the full survey. To get the right tools and equipment up there, that meant

I had also arranged to meet with Simon Corkhill – an English landscape gardener and swimming pool expert who had moved out to Le Marche some 18 months previously and established a thriving landscaping business. We wanted to get a better idea on the potential costs of turning the overgrown hill with a pile of stones on top of it in to a luxury boutique hotel, with wonderful pool and beautifully landscaped gardens, and Simon had agreed to come on site and give us an estimate.

Later that afternoon we met with the representatives of the two companies that Antonio had selected. The first XXXXX, who was to clear and rebuild the road, was proposing a fully finished surface with full irrigation ditches and soakaways. Thinking that this was overkill to just get a small Bobcat and truck up there, we negotiated them down to just widening and flattening the track, together with some basic water irrigation to stop any of the surface being washed away over the winter months.

We then talked though the proposal for the site clearance. There was less leeway on this, as the work had to be done. We agreed the deal, and they promised to start once the road was complete in July. Initially they would secure the site with a metal fence all the way around it, and then start the laborious task of removing all of the fallen stone, and clearing the site back to its foundations.

Since no formal plans of the castle existed- not even in the Vatican Archie -we were going to have to measure the depth and breadth of all of the foundations to then be able to determine the height and thickness of the walls. Only then could we formally ascertain what the final square metreage might be – which of course ha a direct impact on the number of rooms we could have, and consequently would determine the viability of the project.

Together, we visited a number of possible Farm houses and restoration projects within a 10-20 kms radius of the castle. Our idea had always been to provide a range of activities and courses, but we needed to offer a lower cost option for the accommodation than a luxury hotel and Spa. We were hoping that Ed and Rebecca might be so taken with the project that they would consider setting up their B&B near us

Once again we parked our cars at the foot of the hill, and made our way gingerly up the weather beaten track to the castle.

It had lost none of its magic. The views on such a clear day were breath taking, and we were able to wander around the remains of the courtyard, mentally planning where we would site the restaurant, the Spa and the accommodation.

The following morning we all gathered at Cesare Belpasso’s office for the formal exchange. There were four individuals selling the castle and the various parcels of land – Piero Mochi, Pietro Mochi, Caselli and his wife XXXX. Since the reason for the sale was that none of them could agree what to do with the ruined castle, the atmosphere was a little tense.

Cesare had drawn up the exchange contract with infinite care and attention to detail. He read through each of the different articles that outlined the terms of the exchange, including the clause that stipulated the current owners would forfeit double the deposit plus any costs that we had incurred in the period between exchange and completion. Since the deposit was 20% of the purchase price, and we were planning to get straight on with the clearing operation, this gave us a feeling of real security.

With five of us to sign and initial an array of documents, the process took some time, but soon the contracts were signed, the deposit and expense paid and we had formally exchanged on Castello dei Pecorari

The reason for the sale was that none of them could agree what to do with the ruined castle, the atmosphere was a little tense.

Cesare had drawn up the exchange contract with infinite care and attention to detail. He read through each of the different articles that outlined the terms of the exchange, including the clause that stipulated the current owners would forfeit double the deposit plus any costs that we had incurred in the period between exchange and completion. Since the deposit was 20% of the purchase price, and we were planning to get straight on with the clearing operation, this gave us a feeling of real security.

With five of us to sign and initial an array of documents, the process took some time, but soon the contracts were signed, the deposit and expense paid and we had formally exchanged on Castello dei Pecorari

The castle, which is on the border of Marche, Tuscany and Umbria, was once owned by the Ubaldini family and for centuries was part of a series of castles and watch-towers that acted as a communications network to the Castello Brancaleone in nearby Piobbico.The castle was last inhabited in the 1930s, before it was allowed to fall into its current ruined state. Our intent is a sympathetic and authentic restoration of this castle back to its orginal structure, but with the likely usage being converted into a small luxury spa hotel.

This website includes the latest news of our progress and the results of our meetings with our Engineer and Project Manager, Ingr. Antonio Marconi and local VIPs such as Dott Giorgio Mochi, the Mayor of nearby Piobbico, a photo gallery of the project as it progresses and a history of the castle.

We would welcome any feedback or enquiries about the project.