Along the road connecting Castelmuzio to Pienza, Casa AL is the result of a project by VPS Architetti, founded by Giuseppe Vallifuoco, Mirco Pani, and Ilene Steingut. The intervention preserves the original shell of the farmhouse, respecting both its volume and facades, but focuses on transforming the interior into a contemporary spatial device, without ever betraying the building’s historic character.
The former agricultural structure has been delicately reinterpreted with both sensitivity and rigorous design, working on proportions, circulation paths, and visual relationships. The west volume, characterized by a large arched opening, has been converted into a double-height entrance space traversed by a light, central staircase. From this distributive core, a series of openings and passages smoothly connect the living spaces with the outdoor areas, creating a continuum between inside and outside.
The heart of the project is a suspended bridge that spans a triple-height space and interacts with the pavilion-style roof of the main body. From here, access is gained to the master suite and two bedrooms with bathrooms, while a secondary staircase leads to a panoramic study located at the highest point of the roof: a true private “lanterna” overlooking the Tuscan landscape.
The intervention retains the rustic soul of the farmhouse but interprets it through clean geometries and complex spatial sequences, resulting in an architecture capable of connecting memory and contemporaneity.
VPS Architetti is a studio founded in 2008 by Giuseppe Vallifuoco, Mirco Pani, and Ilene Steingut, building on extensive shared experience. Based in Cagliari, the studio works on a wide range of projects: private residences, public buildings, urban planning, and landscape design. Their work has been published nationally and internationally, earning recognition and awards. VPS’s approach combines rigorous design, attention to local history, and openness to interdisciplinary languages.
For more information: www.vpsarchitetti.com
CREDITS
Project: Casa AL
Architects: VPS Architetti
Location: Castelmuzio (SI), Italy
Year: 2019
Photographs: studio vetroblu
