Emilia-Romagna, Ravenna, Ravenna, Italy

La Monaldina, Ravenna — Where time stands still and art lives.


There's a place, hidden within the folds of a 5-hectare English-style park, where every detail exudes beauty, every stone tells a story. It's here, in the city that was once the capital of the Roman Empire three times, that La Monaldina stands: more than an estate, it's an icon of style. A unique compound comprising four independent properties, nestled in a garden of centuries-old trees and guarded by a 1.6 km-long, 3-meter-high holm oak hedge. All designed to offer absolute luxury in the utmost privacy.
The heart of the property is the 800-square-meter former barn, transformed by a joint project between the owner and architect Gae Aulenti into a cathedral of design: stone columns, original floors, movable walls covered in tapestries, and natural light permeating the space. At the center, the original model of the Moor of Venice hangs suspended in mid-air. At its feet, the Doge's gondola: a gift from the Serenissima.
Not far away is the eighteenth-century manor house designed by Camillo Morigia, the architect of Dante's tomb. Listed as a building of historical value, it is a 315-square-meter stately residence with a noble façade, a double marble staircase, and a monumental fireplace.
The estate's garden is more than just a backdrop: it hosts a monumental 14-meter-high iron sculpture, Leonardo's Horse, designed by Ben Jakober and Jannick Vu, exhibited at the 1993 Venice Biennale.
The two pools are fabulous. They are actually two separate pools: a rectangular 13x8-meter pool and an Olympic-size 50x2.5-meter lane pool, joined by a teak deck. Designed with the Peter Marino studio, the L-shaped pool reveals itself only to those who enter. The natural slate decking, the one-hectare lawn, and the mast of a sailboat transformed into an outdoor shower create a dreamlike setting.
The estate is completed by two further independent residences:
* A 144m2 guest house on two levels with a living room, kitchen, dining room and two bedrooms.
* A 100m2 staff residence, with a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and an original old wood-burning oven.
A private helipad allows you to land directly on the property, completely anonymously. Venice is just over 100 km away, Bologna 70 km. Ravenna's historic center and the sea are just 4 km away, accessible also via a cycle path immersed in nature.
More than an estate, a work to be inhabited.
Monaldina is not visited: it is discovered, you fall in love with it, you live it.