RESTORATION OF PALAZZO BONOMINI IN TUSCANY

UNVEILING THE HOME OF KALPA

“Future is a journey to the past.” - Mario Cucinella

Along with the foundation in 2019, KALPA Galleries have been embarking on the restoration of their main venue in Palazzo Bonomini, an architectural gem in the historical centre of Volterra, bringing new creative lymph to the Tuscan town. The building, close to the Etruscan Porta all’Arco, is the physical home and conceptual kernel of the Galleries, presenting timeless interiors with harmoniously arranged art selection.

Thanks to this long-term renovation work, the Palazzo is slowly revealing its essence, the traces left by the passage of time, its secrets, and ancient whispers. Unveiling step-by-step its historical authenticity, KALPA has been working with artisans and using natural materials and local stones, including the beautiful sandstone pietra panchina, which Volterra streets and buildings are made of.

In 2022 the Galleries re-opened a great part of the Palazzo and enhanced its spaces ranging from luminous high rooms to underground brick vaults and age-old stone walls. This year, the restoration will involve two main halls of the first floor, or piano nobile, pursuing both the criteria of preservation of the original atmosphere and consolidation of the bond between history and contemporaneity.

The ground floor of the Palazzo underwent the greatest intervention following the vision of KALPA's founder and art director Olga Niescier. As an unravelling of history, the works narrated the property’s origins and features in the process. Original elements, such as stairs, alcoves and wall niches, and window and door openings have been fully restored and reintegrated.

A general redistribution of the interior spaces respecting the original partitions was undertaken, together with the “discover-and-integrate” conservation of the wall textures, executed in a discerning innovative manner by the esteemed Tuscan restorer Cristiano Sabelli. As part of the “peeling back the layers” operation, traces of warm and pale colours were found on the walls in the central room, which now became one of its key features. Moreover, while protecting the healthiness of historical surfaces, the original bricks were brought back to light and associated with MATTEOBRIONI raw-earth finishes, resulting from a meticulous pre-selection of clays and aggregates from various Italian territories blended together to obtain chromatic, tactile and functional qualities.

Flowing into the vibrant universe of KALPA Galleries, art meets the genius loci. Elegant artworks and whisperings of nature welcome visitors within a kaleidoscope of diverse cultural backgrounds, inspirations, and techniques. The language of the interior architecture establishes a stimulating synergy with the selected international art, spanning wall and sculptural artworks in alabaster, marble, bronze, clay and raw earth, wood, Venetian glass, oil, acrylic, and mixed media.

Credits:
Photography by Simone Stanislai, courtesy of KALPA

For further information:
KALPA ART LIVING
Via Porta all'Arco 12-24 | 56048 Volterra (PI), Italy
Tel: +39 389 0476417 | +39 351 6638711
info@kalpa-art.it | www.kalpa-art.it | @kalpaartliving