Elizaveta Terletskaya

Restoring the Treasures of Umbrian History faces of antognolla

A conversation with Elizaveta Terletskaya, Senior Design Manager at Antognolla

How challenging is it to transform a 12th-century castle into a modern high-end resort?

The ambitious project of transforming Antognolla Castle into a Six Senses resort, while preserving its historical heritage, is a task which demands immense creativity and precision. Leading this extraordinary endeavour is Elizaveta Terletskaya, Senior Design Manager at Antognolla.

‘In renovated historical buildings, it is especially challenging trying to fulfil all operational requirements while improving the state of the building and managing existing constraints. This delicate balance is key in preserving the historical essence of Antognolla Castle while ensuring it meets the contemporary standards of a luxury resort’, she says.

An architect by education and profession, Elizaveta has 15 years of international experience in premier hotels under her belt. As part of her responsibilities, she coordinates around 20 design consultants who are involved in the architectural and interior design and the engineering systems for the Antognolla project. When she was offered the opportunity to lead the Castle’s transformation, she took on the challenge with a blend of respect for history and a flair for modern luxury.

‘I have been working in hotel construction for many years, but it never ceases to amaze me how complex these buildings are. There is a space dedicated to the residential area, there are F&B facilities, swimming pools, conference rooms, and you need to know the specifics of each of these areas, from a Michelin-level kitchen to the yoga studios, and from saunas to gardens. The scale of Antognolla, taking into consideration the entire territory including the residences, the restoration part, new buildings, and vineyards, is immense, but at the same time it’s human and cosy.’

Elizaveta’s approach to high-end hotel design is encapsulated in her belief that ‘there are no unimportant details’, from the strategic placement of modern amenities like refrigerators to aesthetic choices like the colour of napkins in a restaurant. On top of that, she says that the challenge of melding the old with the new in a historical building is significant. The restoration of Antognolla is even more demanding because it involves not only structural refurbishment but also a deep reverence for the Castle’s past. ‘For any renovation work, we first study archives and old photographs in order to correctly recreate the historical visual.’

One of the noteworthy components of the restoration works is the chapel of Saint Agata. The Antognolla team is committed not only to restoring the chapel but also to retrieving its missing artefacts. ‘We are looking forward to bringing the church back to its former glory, and to once again making it a part of the local community. This is very important to us. Religion has historically played a big role in the life of Umbria, and we respect that.’

Elizaveta explains that when the current owner took over the property in 2013, most of the items that were present in the Castle and in the church in the 19th and 20th centuries had been lost. Now, the Antognolla team is on a mission to find them and place them back in their original location once the buildings are restored.

‘Now that we are doing restoration works throughout all the historical areas of the property, we are looking for any original items that once belonged to the site in order to preserve the authenticity of the place as it was…We have succeeded in tracking down two oil paintings and a table-mounted tabernacle from the church that were moved to a local convent in Canneto’, she says.

The oil paintings originally hung from the two sides of the main altar in the Saint Agata chapel. The one on the left was a depiction of Saint Elisabetta and Saint Giovannino (1), and the one on the right side depicted a Madonna with Jesus and Saint Giovannino (2). The tabernacle was situated at the altar and contained the consecrated Eucharist, which comprises an important part of the Christian sacred ceremony.

These items were removed from Antognolla, were then temporarily stored in a church in San Giovanni del Pantano, a nearby village, and were later transferred to a convent in Canneto in 1998. The paintings have been kept in a prayer room within the convent ever since. The artefacts are estimated to be 500–600 years old.

The Antognolla team is now searching for the second group of artefacts, which are believed to be stored in a museum in Perugia. ‘Of course, we hope to return these items to Antognolla. We would like to restore everything as much as possible to its original state. We already have a restoration project for the chapel, including the reinstating of its original flooring, benches, the choir balcony, the altars…’

Elizaveta says that, once completed, the chapel will be open to the public and will become a beautiful destination for wedding ceremonies. Thanks to Elizaveta, the Antognolla team, and its owners, the history of Antognolla continues.

Photos:‘Antognolla.Storiaearchitettura’by ErmannoPolla–GrifoPerugia,2001.