Summer in Italy: The Pietrasanta Project

2018-2019

Tuscany hosts an increasingly large amount of expatriates, from Europe and around the world.

More and more of whom are choosing to restore old underused properties to their former glory instead of creating a modern monstrosity from scratch. In keeping with true Italian fashion this influx of imagination, money and determination is a driving force for the large-scale renewal of the decomposing villas that scatter the Tuscan country side. Nowhere better exemplifies this trend then in the small town of Pietrasanta. Founded in 1255, Pietrasanta has stood the text of time through both world wars as a site of pilgrimage for Sculptors and Artists alike. Michelangelo himself was said to have purchased the stone for the statue of David in what is now the towns most notable watering hole, Bar Michelangelo. Since this prince of the Italian Renaissance set foot into town, every sculptor worth his salt has followed in his footsteps. 

This influx of art and culture into this once small and provincial town has transformed it into anything but. Although, many of the stranieri (foreigners) in these parts still remember a time before bustling high fashion crowds and streets strewn with posh galleries. Many chose to settle in this area because of the marble and stone industry, and may have unintentionally contributed to the demise of the best kept secret in Italy. 

Due to the uniqueness of this town, its ancient villas and the mad people who have elected to restore them, hold a singular fascination for me. They fearlessly, and with great personal risk to their relationships, careers and bank accounts, gambled it all for the chance at the perfect home in what they believe to be the perfect place.

Come follow my journey as I talk to Artists and Visionaries who fell in love with this region, as I have, and chose to give an old house with its own history a new chapter. 

Black and Whites

2014-2018