The Villa Fracanzan Piovene, whose marble sink and copper pans would have been ‘commandeered’ by Napoleon and Mussolini had they not been hidden away by chef Maria, who chopped, simmered and roasted here for 80 years. The vaulted ceiling is coated with a thick patina built up from centuries’ worth of smoke and grease. The housekeeper and her husband, the maid and the woman who did the ironing would all gather around the table at mealtimes. The current countess, who lives in the north Italian mansion, shares her memories of the old cucina.
Magazine: The World of Interiors May 2014
Photo: Alex Ramsay
