Castello Montegiove

Castello di Montegiove is a prestigious and refined country house that rises on the first slopes of the hillside at the entrance to Fano from which one can enjoy views of the sea, of the town and surrounding hills. Once known as Villa Hagemann, the unit, created between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th Century, is unique for its neogothic architecture and its octagonal crenellated tower, that rises above the ancient trees A vast park, which was a hunting reserve before, the golf driving range and the garden with flowers, they all frame this beautiful residence. Built as a villa, a house for summer vacation, it includes also two other units: the house of the guardian and the former stables, storage and greenhouse, which are now joined together with the central building thanks to a porch and a patio. The first decades of the last century have undoubtedly represented for this dwelling the moment of maximum splendor, whose memory is alive in the memory of those who frequented it, especially on hot summer days, but its slow and unstoppable decline was marked by the earthquake of 1930, from the Second World War and, later, from the decision of the Hagemann family to reside in Pesaro. This transfer has accelerated its decay and left the freedom of action to the many vandals, who have “visited” assiduously in recent decades. Only with in new millennium came a possibility of relaunching from the new property, whose decision not to reserve the villa for its private use but to transform it into a tourist-receptive structure represented in the first place for the inhabitants of Fano the possibility of returning to enjoy a prestigious asset that belongs to the city’s history. For this purpose functional adaptations and interventions have been finalized. The restoration works, which lasted almost three years, have respected and enhanced the original structure, preserving every original sign that is still visibile and restoring it to its ancient beauty. Thus the conservation of the hidden ogival external shutters, the grit or tile floors, the ceilings with exposed beams and the colors of the painted or exposed walls have helped to recreate the atmosphere of great charm peculiar to the dwelling. The magic of the dwelling increases significantly its natural setting – the vast park, the gardens and the flower beds -, whose original arrangement had become hard to spot because every space had been literally submerged by vegetation grown disorderly over the years of decay. Only after a slow and careful work of pruning and removal of weeds it was possible to carry out a landscape study of the property and proceed with the reintegration of those essences (in particular the roses, hydrangeas, camellias, etc.) already there in the gardens in our territory at the beginning of the Twentieth century. The cleaning of the spaces around the villa has also allowed the recovery and restoration of what remained of the external furnishings (the fish tanks, the aviary, etc.), which were integrated with water features – a decorative basin at the base of the tower and a bathing in the terrace facing Fano – that fit harmoniously into the architectural and natural context. The restoration, strictly conservative, has allowed the recovery and use of some service areas such as the cellars and the courtyard area, which have been paved and connected to each other and have become a delightful setting, especially on warm summer evenings, for ceremonies, concerts, convivial meetings by candlelight. Particularly for their charm, the rooms of the former cellars, on the same level of the large terrace, create the illusion of completely immersing themselves in the surrounding nature.