Overnight, Massimiliano Panseca, a young Milanese entrepreneur at the head of a start-up, and Margot Guelfi, a Parisian modeling agent to whom everything smiled, left their well-launched careers to devote themselves to a common project: to take over the property. of the father of Massimiliano, architect, on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, lost between Sicily and Tunisia.
“
The idea of leaving everything to live on an island enchanted us: we had no specific idea, except to renovate this family home called Parco dei Sesi and lead a simpler life.
Getting out of this Parisian rhythm, where I felt stuck, had become visceral.
I needed nature!
remembers Margot, who yearned for a quality of life that would make her happy.
The adventure got off to a flying start for them and turned out to be much more engaging than expected: “
We got our hands dirty, we did everything ourselves!
".
The couple learned step by step from the local workers, gardeners and masons, so much so that Massimiliano redid all the plumbing and electricity, and Margot created the vegetable garden.
Cleaning, cooking, laundry, work, gardening, the couple are working hard to transform the house "
in poor condition
" into a hotel with 13 rooms;
better, work daily to remain in the truth.
Like them, many are these hoteliers of a new kind who are embarking on a rural adventure.
Taking over an old barn or family property, renovating an old mill, transforming a post house or a dairy, fitting out farm buildings, refuges or alpine chalets, nothing seems to be able to stop them as long as the values that drive them find resonance in a territory and a land.
These new rural people, settled in preserved corners of paradise, claim a choice of life in contact with nature and ancestral traditions, a fundamental need to reconnect with the land and a form of agrotourism, an essential connection with the surrounding communities, a desire to defend and preserve local traditions and know-how;
a regional anchorage which aims to preserve the architecture as well as the
21st Century Innkeepers
Preserving old places while infusing modern comfort.
Press service
In his book
The Rite of Authenticity
, the philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky speaks of this increased need for authenticity: "
Tourism professionals are constantly promoting 'nature' holidays, the beauty of a rural and natural heritage, the pleasures of the discovery of biodiversity.
[…] Natural spaces long perceived as hells have become “magical” paradises, places synonymous with authenticity because they are protected from the devastation of the industrialized world and urban lifestyles.
Thus, a new imaginary inhabits authentic tourism, which is no longer confused with the rejection of mass tourism, it involves the preservation of the natural environment and the improvement of the living conditions of the populations visited.
»
It is with this vision that the Soares family took over a Portuguese wine estate of 550 hectares in the heart of the Alentejo.
From a passion for wine, the family invested in creating vegetable gardens, olive groves and orchards, building stables, training Lusitano horses in dressage and imagining six fincas to live in.
We stay in the Casa das Artes e Ofícios nourished by local arts and crafts or in the Casa do Ancouraduro inspired by terracotta, overlooking the rows of vines.
Daily life is naturally punctuated by traditions, the cycle of the seasons and an exceptional terroir.
"
Honoring Alentejan traditions is essential for us, says Rita Soares.
Malhadinha Nova is experienced as a family home, a place of reunion nourished by personal memories, a lair that pays homage to the land!
".
In these neo-rural tables, we eat local and seasonal.
Press service
The same goes for Sibilla de Vuono who, after a career in fashion, took over and developed Ebbio, a family home hidden in the middle of the Tuscan hills where she thrives every day.
We come to Ebbio for a yoga retreat or a stay with friends with the key word, sharing: "
Here, there is no room for branding: everyone gives the best, and the experiences lived naturally remain unforgettable
", explains the one who invites customers and friends come to pick herbs and vegetables in the vegetable garden, to go for a walk to pick up mushrooms or to bathe in an old swimming pool from the Etruscan era among the trees.
A successful stay passes hands in the ground.
Welcoming at home, even if all is not perfect, such is the leitmotif of these new rural people.
“
We never had the pretension of creating a hotel
recalls Alessandra Garin, who took over the reins of the Auberge de la Maison in Courmayeur from her father.
His wish ?
Being a 21st century innkeeper.
Preserve, too, the spirit of this beautiful family home where old paintings, ice axes and mountain shoes recall the rich hours of mountaineering to conquer the slopes of Mont Blanc.
Here, the parquet floors creak, the woolen plaids are enveloping and the regional specialties generous.
Living in all humility in contact with the elements is a courageous choice that unites these new rural people.
Despite different backgrounds, all have sworn to listen, to surround themselves well, to respect the nature that surrounds them and never to lose sight of the reasons for which they have made this change of life.
TO READ
Slow Escapes. Rural Retreats for Conscious Travelers
, Gestalten, September 2022.
