L&L Luce&Light has illuminated the former Convent in Abruzzo – Italy, now converted into a farm

Spoltore is a village of ancient medieval origins close to Pescara (Italy). The inhabited centre stands on a hill overlooking the vast surrounding area. The antique main church dedicated to the patron saint, San Panfilo, is an essential destination for a better understanding of the local history. It is defined as “within the walls” to distinguish it from the homonymous Convent of San Panfilo “fuori le mura” (outside the walls), built by the Benedictines in the 11th century as a monastic complex with this destination until 1866 when many ecclesiastical properties were laicized.

Restoration work on the entire complex began in 2009, entrusted to the architects Armillotta, Palmieri and Santomauro of CASaAssociati Studio. Recently completed, these renovations have restored the building to its ancient beauty, making it suitable for tourism, agritourism and accommodation compatible with the working farm, in full respect of the history and architecture already present. The works have preserved the original structures, while the new areas create that blend seamlessly with the old.

The lighting design project, also supported by the L&L Luce&Light team, deserves a separate chapter. It saw the use of some solutions signed by the Veneto-based company. In the internal area – the cloister demarcated by the Convent and the church – the main request was to highlight particular architectural features, such as the groin vaults, the bays and the capitals keeping the frescoed walls unaltered and unobstructed. Therefore, the use of ELLA OUT outdoor wall lights because facing upwards, while giving a certain rhythm to the space, they do not directly project light onto the vaults and frescoes but illuminate them uniformly with reflected light.

The typical colour of the building bricks is echoed in the red-brown of the fixture Cor-ten finish, helping them to tone in perfectly with the architecture and the context. In the inner perimeter of the cloister GINKO 2.0 projectors, with 11° narrow optics, positioned beneath the mullioned windows, provide ambient lighting, the GINKO 3.0, with 30° optics, are placed in the four corners of the cloister and produce direct light illuminating the central element, the well. Other projectors are also in the cellar: the SPOT 2.4, 3000K, 58°, with an anthracite finish, are resistant to corrosion, ideal for use in damp environments, directed at the vaulted brick ceilings to create a warm, diffuse light that adds height to the environment and welcomes the visitors to the tasting sessions.

In the outer area, the aim was to obtain a soft, diffuse light while keeping the walls free of lighting fixtures. SPOT 2.4 projectors positioned on stakes amid the greenery light the external facades without contrasts. In the garden, the SPOT 3.4 jasper green finish allows it to blend in with the vegetation. Some enlighten the tree trunks from beneath, others fixed to the branches with fastener straps illuminate the foliage and the lawn below.

Two GEKO outdoor wall-mounted fixtures are mounted on the columns to brighten the portico overlooking the garden. On the exterior, GEKO 5.1 single-beam fixtures, with 10° narrow optics, point downwards, enhancing the length of the column; inside, GEKO 6.0 double-beam fixtures, with diffuse light, draw attention to the slightly rounded forms of the ceiling. The GEKO wall-mounted Cor-ten finish, plus the ELLA OUT solutions installed in the cloister, ensure the fixtures blend in with the architecture to create a uniform look across the surfaces.

Location: Pescara, Italy

Architects: CASaAssociati

Photocredits: Fabio Di Carlo

Location: Pescara, Italia

Architects: CASaAssociati

Photocredits: Fabio Di Carlo

L&L Luce&Light