LA DIMORA DI METELLO

Metellus's house, is located in the heart of Sasso Barisano off the historic “Via Fiorentini” and takes name from tower “Metellana” which was part of the walls of the ancient quarter of “Sassi di Matera” (Civita). The legend attributes the construction of the Tower to the Roman Consul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numicidio, he probably died in Matera leaving his name to the town: Metheola. Based on history the Tower was built, at his expense, by a brave Roman captain who took permanent home in the city of Matera after winning over Saracen troops in the eleventh century. The skilled and experienced workers engaged in the recovery of the cave-dwellings have managed to create comfortable and elegant both public areas and the four suites of the dwelling. The space, in its entirety, spread over 300 square meters on the same level and consists of a reception hall, a spa and four bedrooms which have access to the terrace; all rooms are "a grotta" type, with high ceilings up to 450 cm; they are characterized by partly tuff and partly plastered perimeter walls. This type of intervention is necessary in those cases in which, for different needs, such action is taken on the masonry texture compromising its texture. The design intent is aimed at defining a place capable of dialoguing with the context and tradition but at the same time at defining a place able to surprise by showing a new, rigorous and elegant beauty, leaving the right space to the rediscovery of the elements of tradition. A box that reminds all the layers of the past and that remarks the roots of the town that you can’t lose; filled with a reduced furniture, it acquires a language which is as neutral and linear as possible. The balance between lightness and modernity is the result of a precise approach to the care of the details which leads to a new language, a new aesthetic that, on tiptoe, is linked inextricably to the tradition. All spaces, both internal and external, have been restored and designed to accommodate all the new features of the hotel, with harmony and comfort. Common spaces and the rooms are designed accurately; The predominant color of the tuff is flanked to the tones of wooden furniture, made in light oak, and to the neutral tones of the fabrics and stands out thanks to the presence of some furniture made of Corten steel. Wooden furniture made ad hoc are harmonized by refined and elegant design elements. A place, an hospitality space, an house to welcome in a perfect synthesis of contemporary needs and echoes of a distant world whose historical pre-existence makes you rediscover the contemporary concept of living.