The project is a visual compendium of images of unique and spectacular historical buildings and aristocratic villas in the Bologna area, enhanced by the precious touch of Paolo Castelli’s collection.
A “full design” vision in which the past, the historical building and its contemporary features, namely Castelli furnishings, establish a dialogue to create unexpected and, at times, cheeky references to underscore the theme of a quest for balance between matter and shape, design and architecture, beauty and culture.
Products in Paolo Castelli’s collection are the outcome of a keen historical analysis and extraordinary study of manufacturing techniques carried out to harmoniously merge these products into every setting and environment. The refined luxury of the various historical and architectural frameworks, the grace enhanced by style and the fact that it harmoniously adapts to all settings are core aesthetic values of the collection.
Paolo Castelli expresses elegance with a new and revolutionary lifestyle, a new way of conceiving furnishings and their role in the lives of those who choose them.
Bologna Caput Culturae
Bologna, one of Europe’s most creative cities, does not impose mandatory paths but suggests strolling along its streets under the embrace of the arcades, which are the longest in the world. Design, craftsmanship, music and architecture are just some of the treasures to be explored. The crossroads of the sites of knowledge, ancient workshops and historical buildings where handcrafting and artistic expertise have merged with creativity and innovation over the centuries. Many painters, playwrights, art historians, doctors, inventors and poets have worked in Bologna over the centuries, distinguishing themselves in the various arts and making the city famous both in Italy and in the world.
Palazzo Albergati
Majestic country residence of the Albergati family, it is considered one of the most important and original architectural works of European Baroque. The Palace was a very lively centre of social and cultural life, with illustrious visitors and guests: kings, queens, princes, musicians, men of letters, scientists and adventurers. Building began in the second half of the 17th century, commissioned by marquis Girolamo Albergati Capacelli (Bologna’s ambassador to Rome and member of the Bolognese Senate) who aimed to surpass in magnificence all the residences of the Bologna aristocracy. The building is striking for its exceptional dimensions and the unusual contrast between the austerity of its exterior and the baroque spatiality of the interior, embellished and highlighted by a fresco cycle particularly representative of the Emilian school of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Teatro del 700 – Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati
This authentic gem concealed in the left wing of the Villa is the one example of a suburban private theatre in the Bologna area that has come down to us today. An expression of the cultural vivacity of the Enlightenment, the theatre was built at the behest of Giovan Francesco Aldrovandi, an amateur actor, playwright and enthusiastic theatre lover, in emulation of his friend, actor and playwright Count Francesco Albergati who, in his Villa at Zola Predosa, possessed a magnificent Theatre which was lost during the 2nd world war.
