Il Bello Borgo Santo Pietro

Back in June last year, Victoria had the pleasure of meeting Jeanette Thottrup at the opening of Christopher Guy’s London showroom.  Jeanette and Claus are the owners of the sanctuary that is Borgo Santo Pietro, a fabulous boutique hotel tucked away in the Tuscan hills of Valle Serena.

Winner of a prestigious Tatler Travel Award in 2009 for ‘Most Heavenly Hideaway’ and a place on the Condé Nast Hotlist 2009, Borgo Santo Pietro is a 13^th century villa set in 13 acres of enchanting gardens which has been lovingly restored to create a bespoke luxury private retreat.

Once a place of healing for pilgrims to rest and recuperate from their journey to Rome, the villa is now a sanctuary of beauty, calm and luxury that offers a relaxed decadence to Bohemian urban escapees and lovers of perfection.

Within the mellow gold stone walls, the villa’s timeless interiors are sumptuous and truly refined yet unpretentious, retaining a private, intimate feel that is full of whispered wow factors!  Each room and suite has been individually designed with antique furnishings, customised beds, crystal chandeliers and artisan decoration to create a sense of Tuscan glamour and history.

The magnificent Santo Pietro Grand Suite is pure opulence allowing guests to “completely indulge in their own baroque fantasy”.  From the vast high ceilings hang ornate chandeliers in the exquisite bathroom, complete with free-standing bath and mountain views, and dining room featuring a dark Oak table and chairs.  This leads into the glorious bedroom where the beautifully hand-carved bed takes centre stage, French doors open onto a shaded terrace overlooking the beautiful Valle Serena.

Studio Badia, or The Writers Rooms as it is known, is another wonder.  Featuring a rare deep-red Bordeaux marble fireplace, hand-carved bronze gilded bed and ornamental gold mirrors this suite is a decadent yet snug retreat from the main house.

Whilst hiding in Ibiza from the freezing weather conditions currently sweeping Britain, I was privileged to get an interview with Jeanette, here’s what she had to say:

Shelley Pond What motivated you to embark on such a project as the Borgo Santo Pietro?

Jeanette Thottrup We had actually decided not to buy a property in Tuscany when we saw Borgo and fell instantly in love, without thinking we just said “we’ll take it” and so we did!  A year later we realised that the property and grounds would be way too big for us to live in and that’s how the idea of a hotel slowly formed.  We wanted to bring Borgo Santo Pietro back to life and show everybody else how beautiful this place is.

SP Do you have a creative/design background?

JT Yes I am a fashion designer!

SP What inspired your designs for the hotel’s interior?

JT We wanted to create a place with maximum comfort and a feeling of time standing still.  Borgo had to be beautiful and high quality and at the same time informal, this has probably been our biggest achievement in the whole project.

SP There has been a lot written about the exquisite antiques featured in the hotel, were the furnishings all sourced in Italy?

JT No, even though a lot of them are Italian, there are lots from France and England as well, I like the mix and it makes it less austere.

SP Many travel journalists have commented on the feeling of being at a “friend’s home” at Borgo Santo Pietro.  Was the lived-in illusion something you set out to create?

JT Not really, the idea was to create a place full of fantasy that would not remind people of their own places and lives.  That’s why we give them uploaded ipods (it is always nice to be surprised by other people’s song choices, even if there are a couple of them they don’t like!!) and we hid the TV’s in the rooms behind paintings, for people to find that time and space they can call their own to unwind and recharge … away from it all but still able to get the service they want, when they want it.  I have seen the most unlikely people make friends and I think this is what happens to people when they are relaxed and peel off their labels.

SP The interiors all appear so natural and relaxed yet it’s clear a lot of work and attention to detail has gone into your designs.  How long did you spend completing this project?

JT We bought Borgo in 2001 and opened its doors in 2008.  Each of those 7 years were used, including landscaping the 13 acre garden!  But Borgo is an ongoing progress, every year we make new things.

SP Do you have a favourite suite?

JT Yes, the Grand Santo Pietro Suite, not because it is the biggest, but I love the warm golden colours and the slight baronial look and I can sit on the terrace and gaze over the valley for hours.

SP What was the biggest challenge you faced during the design process?

JT It was to find the right team of people to carry out all the different tasks.  They are all artisan artists, right from the hand carver who had to copy old antique beds in order to make them fit our much bigger measurements, to the artists who painted all the murals and helped me restore some of the antique furniture, to the sculptor who restored some of the ancient walls.  They came from all over Europe and now most of us have become like a little family.  They all come back when we are closed for the winter to embark on new ideas, that’s how Borgo is kept alive and we all love it.

Borgo Santo Pietro will re-open on March 31st, to make your reservations click on the following link:

www.borgosantopietro.com

… and don’t forget to leave us your comments!