Italian Emotions

The villa dates back to 1844, located in Albignasego, is a stone throw away of the ancient Italian city of Padua. In former days it was used by a noble family to control the surrounding land. Beginning of the 21th century, the Bottacin family decided to buy and to restore it. That complete restoration process was guided by Elena Bulatova and Vittorio Bottacin, who established their international interior design studio and general contracting firm in the reborn Villa Studiolo now surrounded by fields of roses.

The Villa Studiolo shines, like a phoenix arisen from the ashes. When the Bottacin´s bought it at the beginning of the 21st century, it was a shadow of its earlier, glorious incarnation. A mess according to Vittorio Bottacin and Elena Bulatova, who took it upon themselves to restore it to its former glory. It was as full of holes as Swiss cheese and many of the holes had been provisionally plugged up.

Built-in 1844 it was initially used by a noble family as a base from which to oversee their surrounding farmland. When they were in residence at the villa, they stayed on the first floor: the Piano Nobile. The ground floor was used for storing agrarian machinery, with further storage space on the topmost floor.

The beginning of the new millennium found only the core of the villa intact. With that structure as the basis the whole villa, a protected monument, needed to be reconstructed in its original style.

Vittorio and Elena remember only too well how much work that entailed. In total, it would cost them three years of intensive labor to make an original Italian Villa from the mess they had started with. In 2009 the work was completed.