“Do you live in a castle?” I asked, baffled. I know estancias who are like castles, but since I've been in Europe, I had to reconsider my idea of big and luxurious.
“It's about 30 minutes from the city. The tower is the only remaining vestige from the XII century. The living quarters were added in the XIX century by the Metternich House. Sadly, it was about to be turned into a spa when my father acquired it 40 years ago and needed a complete renovation. The original place from the Lintorff family is in shambles now, after the Allied bombing and the communists' looting done later, but as the Metternich family was related to my mother's in a second degree, it was appropriate to buy it,” he told me as if to buy a castle was the most simple thing in life. “You will like it. It's not big or grandiose, but it serves our needs perfectly. It's quite discreet and comfortable if you have to organize meetings.”
Let's take a look at Konrad's small house, perfect to organise a little soirée with some friends or colleagues.
The castle really exists and it's located in South Tyrol. I inspired myself on the outside, because the interiors are different from the original ones. Nowadays, it has been transformed into a very small hotel, near Bozen-Bolzano and there's no cherry tree in the interior courtyard, but it has an English garden and several wings.
The building is austere in its design and I think that it reflects accurately its owner's personality; a fortress just modified to look like a family residence. Noble materials but nothing luxurious. A very austere concept, but that leaves no doubt of its intrinsic value. With a Medieval flare around it, just to emphasize the strict code -anachronistically maintained (and enforced) by him- the Order's members are supposed to live under
I couldn't picture Konrad living in a Baroque building; despite all his money, he does not behave like a “parvenu” You will find furnitures “from one period and belonging to one place” to show his love for the old traditions. You will not find solid gold tabs in his bathroom, but you might come across a Mary Cassat hanging from his walls or a Cimabue.
A view of the tower where are Konrad's private quarters
The side entrance to the courtyard
One of the corridors
The forest
The castle! *hugs, Tionne* Thank you! I was very intrigued to see these kind of pictures.
ReplyDeleteMust confess that the castle was not quite I imagined it to be. The picture in my mind was a tad more austere and severe (something like this). As you well mentioned, Konrad's sense of aesthetics is too much influenced by his position and expected code of behaviour to like something 'flashy'. He's certainly a "less is more" kind of person.
The lush vegetation surrounding the castle was a welcomed surprise. I suppose I expected the strict frugality of the architecture to include the gardens, but I can see why the English garden style helps to make the fortress "look like a family residence". (Although one must wonder why dear Konrad needs to live in a fortress in the first place, *hing,hint* *nudge,nudge* Guti)
Guntram must have certainly loved it (and the Casatt's, and the Cimabue's) when he first arrived. Same way that Stefania must have hated it (only Versace tableware for her) XD
Any chance that there are more castle-related pictures? Room layouts? That photo of one of the inner corridors is too tantalizing to ignore. ...Pretty, please? Ice-cream sundae with a cherry on top? (Yes, I'm willing to resort to virtual-food bribes, I'm that desperate) ^o~
~ Higashi ~