PANEL 2

Podere Paterno

This farmhouse in the Paterno area is part of Lamberto Frescobaldi’s eighteenth-century properties. The land belonging to the estate was extensive, stretching towards both the Pesa and the Virginio. The specialized vineyards, now characteristic of the landscape, have been recently planted; two hundred years ago, the scene was dominated by mixed cultivation.

The estate is currently inhabited, and few spaces have retained their original appearance, but the main structures of the farmhouse, the annexes, and the courtyard are still recognizable. The farmhouse is a rather large building surmounted in the center by a turret with a dovecote function. The structure is developed over two floors.

On the ground floor, the central loggia is recognizable, an important open space for the life of the house: for example, it was used when it rained, to dry food products such as fruit, and to store tools. To its right, a room, now used as a garage, originally housed a stable, the farmhouse space reserved for the shelter of cattle, which were an important resource for managing the estate. The stable included a space for the animals’ “rest” and feeding troughs. Originally, the stable mainly served to protect the animals from the weather; only between the 19th and 20th centuries did it begin to transform into a place dedicated to the actual breeding of animals.

On the first floor of the house, there were the kitchen and living rooms, while in front of the house, the courtyard, a space for social life and gathering but also intended for carrying out productive activities, such as threshing wheat. The courtyard was usually laid with beaten earth or paved with bricks or stone. Overlooking the courtyard were the annexes where the barn is still recognizable, characterized by typical brick grilles to allow adequate ventilation to keep the hay dry.