CHLOE Magazine Summer 2015 Volume 5 Issue 4 | Page 86

CHLOE MAGAZINE twenty-five YEARS HAVE GONE BY SINCE RELAIS LA Suvera’s first opening in 1990. Until then it was the private country residence of the owners, the Marquis Ricci, which had employed years in restoring the Papal Villa and the buildings and gardens surrounding it, with an infinite respect for the traces of history and a love for beauty which everyone instinctively feels arriving at La Suvera and which makes it until today a truly inimitable place. The character and intimacy of the house have remained unspoiled through all these years, combining ancient splendor with modern comforts and an attentive staff providing impeccable service. The Ricci family, together with the staff of Relais La Suvera, is proud to celebrate this Silver Anniversary, feeling to have accomplished the dream to turn history and culture in something to live in and to share with everyone and hoping to have succeeded in the effort to always improve during 25 years! The origins of La Suvera date back to the Middle Ages, when the building was a castle owned by the Lordship of Siena, part of the Feud of the legendary Countess Ava Matilde dé Franzosi, a relative of the King of France Clovis. It is likely therefore that the ancient name La Suvera derives precisely from the French word “ Souveraine”. In the sixteenth century, La Suvera was donated to Pope Julius II by the lordship of Siena, in hope to gain his favours. This Renaissance Pope, a skilled politician and warrior, was also known as a patron of artists, such as Raphael, Michelangelo and Bramante, who, among other things, were commissioned for the construction of the Vatican Halls, the Sixtine Chapel and the project for the new basilica of St. Peter. Julius II also played an important role in La Suvera’s history and design by entrusting to the brilliant architect Baldassarre Peruzzi the transformation of the severe medieval castle into a Renaissance Villa. From Julius II La Suvera went to his descendants and then, through marriages, inheritances and acquisitions, to the current owners, the family of the Marquis Ricci. The Marquis Giuseppe Ricci Paracciani and his wife, Princess Eleonora Massimo, have made of their home a stunning country relais, where guests can expect an authentic cultural experience. The history of this Renaissance villa has been blended with the owner’s family illustrious ancestors, who’s furnishings adorn the museum at the first floor of the Papal Villa and the historic rooms and suites. Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence and 7 Centuries of History!