Panitteri House
Panitteri House
Casa Panitteri is an artist's residence designed for two people, with an area of 57 square meters. Created in 2018 by Airbnb, it is located in an exclusive space within Palazzo Panitteri, which houses the Archaeological Museum with artifacts from the Monte Adranone archaeological site. The space underwent a creative and high-design makeover and has a separate, private entrance distinct from the museum's. The house includes an entrance, hallway, living room with kitchen, bathroom, and a spacious master bedroom. It is part of the Planeta wine tourism circuit, a family that has been a leading force in the evolution of Sicilian winemaking since the 1970s, contributing to its growth and expansion beyond national borders.
It is on the ground floor of the 17th-century palace that the young artist Edoardo Piermattei - born in 1992 in the Marche region and now based in Turin - was invited by the curator to create his work. With a combination of colors and polymorphic elements, Edoardo Piermattei worked with foams, cementitious tools, and colored pigments to create a pictorial installation with a strong sculptural matrix, which fits into the context of the house as a new interpretation of fresco, modern and three-dimensional. The work spans several parts of the residence: beginning with a preview in the entrance corridor and preparatory watercolors scattered here and there, it entirely covers the ceiling of the living area and culminates within the structure of the canopy bed in the sleeping area. Thus, Edoardo Piermattei pays tribute to the great Renaissance masters with a piece that repositions art in a primary role, thanks to a determined and invasive element. “Edoardo's work for Sambuca is the perfect synthesis of Italian Renaissance frescoes and the chromatic explosions of Sicilian Baroque, to which the artist has given a contemporary placement and architectural dimension.” Federica Sala
Art and design, past and present
For the creation of Casa Panitteri, the curator, Federica Sala, enlisted Eligo Studio architects for the interior design and the Marchigian painter Edoardo Piermattei for the art interventions. The result is an intimate and welcoming domestic space where art and design interact seamlessly. Here, elements from the past – such as marble floors, wrought iron details, stone surfaces, and ancient amphorae – coexist with refined elements of contemporary design, thanks to collaborations with several important Italian and international design brands. In the living area, the kitchen is a product of the collaboration between Smeg and Fantin, and the rocking chair is by designer Mario Milana; table accessories are selected from Bitossi Home collections, and textiles were provided by Society Limonta. The sleeping area features a bed by Diesel Living, while the bathroom furnishings come from the brand Bagno Fiorentino, and the lighting is supplied by Foscarini.
A valorization experiment in the historical center of the Sambuca village
The Artist's House in Sambuca stems from the project to restore and enhance the historic building that houses the local Archaeological Museum, a result of collaboration between Airbnb, local institutions, and the community. It is one of the pilot projects of Italian Villages, the national plan launched by Airbnb in 2017 – a year dedicated by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism to the promotion of small towns – to help enhance the small centers of rural Italy and their communities. The plan, sponsored by ANCI – the National Association of Italian Municipalities – and developed in collaboration with the MiBACT, aimed to enhance over 40 villages across the country through a range of different projects. The goal is to promote sustainable tourism, off the already beaten paths, by introducing travelers from around the world to unique landscapes, traditions, and knowledge, while expanding the local economy. In Sambuca di Sicilia, characterized by the intertwining of various cultures – particularly historical European and Arab influences – the involved artists and architects worked on local specificities, enhancing regional productions. The theme of cultural stratification was central to the artistic installation and interior design project, creating a dialogue between the old and the new.
Piermattei, contemporary art in Sambuca
The true heart of the house is the work by Edoardo Piermattei – born in 1992 in Marche and adopted by Turin – which extends across various parts of the residence. It starts with an initial preview in the entrance corridor and preparatory watercolors scattered throughout. The work is executed as a fresco that entirely covers the ceiling of the living area and culminates in the sleeping area, within the structure of the canopy bed. This piece of art represents a perfect synthesis of Italian Renaissance frescoes and the chromatic explosions of Sicilian Baroque, with the artist managing to give it an architectural dimension and contemporary placement. Piermattei has used foams, cement-based tools, and colored pigments, combining colors and polymorphic elements to create a painting installation with a strong sculptural matrix, integrating into the house as a modern and three-dimensional reinterpretation of the fresco.
It is on the ground floor of the 17th-century palace that the young artist Edoardo Piermattei - born in 1992 in the Marche region and now based in Turin - was invited by the curator to create his work. With a combination of colors and polymorphic elements, Edoardo Piermattei worked with foams, cementitious tools, and colored pigments to create a pictorial installation with a strong sculptural matrix, which fits into the context of the house as a new interpretation of fresco, modern and three-dimensional. The work spans several parts of the residence: beginning with a preview in the entrance corridor and preparatory watercolors scattered here and there, it entirely covers the ceiling of the living area and culminates within the structure of the canopy bed in the sleeping area. Thus, Edoardo Piermattei pays tribute to the great Renaissance masters with a piece that repositions art in a primary role, thanks to a determined and invasive element. “Edoardo's work for Sambuca is the perfect synthesis of Italian Renaissance frescoes and the chromatic explosions of Sicilian Baroque, to which the artist has given a contemporary placement and architectural dimension.” Federica Sala
Art and sustainability: culture and economy for the development of the village
Staying at Casa Panitteri helps finance cultural projects for the local community: part of the revenue from your stay is donated to this purpose to the Municipality of Sambuca di Sicilia, the owner of the property.
