RENAISSANCE STORY

Spectacular frescoes were uncovered when the owners of a 17th-century apartment in Mantua embarked on a bold and creative renovation

- JULIET BENNING

Stripping back the layers of an old building during a renovation can often seem like a kind of archaeology. In the case of Francesca Barbera and Luigi Piatti’s newly acquired 17th-century apartment in Mantua, the hidden treasures were in the walls.

‘We looked at plenty of great apartments and while this one had an attractive exterior the estate agent was puzzled by my instant attraction to it. It was entirely empty having been left vacant for 15 years and much of the character had been whitewashed over. It was peculiar because as soon as I stepped into the apartment I had this incredible feeling that it was a magical place,’ says Francesca from the couple’s full-time home in Rome, where she works in PR and events while Luigi is a legislative advisor to the Italian prime minister. ‘Luigi’s mother was born in Mantua and many of our friends live there so we felt a second home would be a great investment,’ she adds.

Her instincts weren’t wrong, for underneath the layers of paint were a series of spectacular frescoes dating as far back as nearly three centuries. ‘The discovery was entirely by chance with our restoration teams going on a hunch that, this being the