Architecture, when well executed, withstands the test of time, and even subsequent repurposing may become a way of highlighting structural characteristics and settings. This was precisely the case for a stunning Langhe villa, in Bossolasco, now a boutique country hotel, a conversion managed by interior designers Codebò and Vergnano to achieve the award-winning Relais Le Due Matote (in Piedmontese dialect “the master’s two daughters”). The proprietor of Le Due Matote had bought the building and instructed the firm – already involved in plans to restore old houses – to make a dream come true, turning a nineteenth-century Langhe property into a “casual chic” space for whiling away restful weekends.

Guestrooms at the Relais have been furnished with antiques, fine linens and oriental rugs, the colour schemes inspired by a philological study of the hues used for local country houses, with chestnut flooring and charming bathrooms decorated with Indian touches, Empire-style tubs and wrought iron detailing. The big house, as welcoming as a childhood memory, is a hybrid of restored vintage material and contemporary technology, a lovely garden swimming pool is set amidst rosemary and lavender; a spa area with sauna and rest areas overlooks the Alta Langa hills.