Villa Lori Olivieri and its outbuildings are situated in Colle di Brescia, in the municipality of Fiuminata, and have been owned by the Olivieri family since 1910.
Designated a site of cultural interest in 2022, the villa is due to undergo a complete restoration thanks to funds allocated for reconstruction following the 2016 earthquake. After serving as the summer residence of the Lori family for around two centuries, for seventy years the villa and the complex of buildings surrounding it were home to a major forestry and livestock enterprise, run first by the family patriarch Angelo Olivieri and then, from 1920 onwards, by his son Filemone, ‘Sor Filò’, as he was known to everyone, and the charming figure of his wife, Teresa Ciofi degli Atti.
Until sixty years ago, numerous families of farm workers lived around Villa Lori Olivieri, contributing through their labour to the success of this estate, which closed its doors in the Marche region from September to May to continue its operations in the milder winter climate of the Maremma Laziale, between Civitavecchia and Santa Marinella.
Linking the production site in the upper Macerata area with that along the Tyrrhenian coast was a massive transhumance of thousands of sheep and cows, which twice a year covered over two hundred kilometres in just over a week.
The company owned extensive land between Civitavecchia and Santa Marinella, where large quantities of pecorino cheese and sheep meat were produced and sold not only in Rome, but throughout Italy and abroad.
In the Maremma, Sor Filò also bred horses and cows. Family tradition has it that the Maremman cowboys from the Olivieri estate often took part in rodeos, which became popular in the Maremma following Buffalo Bill’s tour of Italy.
With Sor Filò’s death in 1978, the farm’s golden age of production came to an end; it had been sustained not only by the tireless efforts of its managers but also by social and economic conditions that were very different from today’s and would be inconceivable in our times.
This period of stagnation lasted until 1994, when Rosa Olivieri, Filemone’s daughter, decided to tackle the crisis facing the farm’s agricultural operations by transforming the numerous farmhouses into a farm holiday accommodation, taking care to preserve the rural character that still distinguishes the village today. In the ground-floor hall of the ancient 12th-century tower, a small restaurant was opened which grew in popularity over the years, where Rosa passionately prepared simple, traditional meals. This continued until 2015, when the business ceased welcoming guests and diners due to the owner’s advancing age.
Now the baton is being passed to the fourth generation: following in the footsteps of Sor Filò and Mrs Rosa, it is now the turn of their daughter Teresa, a theatre actress who, together with her husband Alessandro – a journalist and documentary-maker – is working towards a second renaissance for the hamlet of Colle and Villa Lori Olivieri. The aim is to preserve the industrious spirit that has always characterised this place, reopening its doors to those seeking the authentic values of our inland regions. Committed to not transforming the hamlet and the villa into a boutique hotel, but rather preserving its rustic yet elegant character whilst focusing entirely on cultural and artistic exploration and the rediscovery of the cultural and natural resources this area has to offer, we will pursue the dream of rebuilding a sense of community around this rural complex. Over the years, we have established a plot of around one hectare of aromatic herbs for the distillation of essential oils, whilst the villa’s garden is home to a small colony of bees for the family’s production of wildflower honey.
