Argentario is a promontory on Italy’s west coast, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is also the name of an estate with wooded hills disguising some fine minimalist architecture, including this open-air platform for gazing at the Tuscan Archipelago.
The ongoing project in this area of Argentario began in 1996 with the involvement of Paolo Pejrone, Italy’s most renowned landscape architect.
There are a number of boxed areas and platforms on the Argentario estate, but none are quite as dramatic as this one.
Materials have been carefully considered. The topography here consists of the brown and green of bare earth and trees, the latter mainly oak and pine.
Paolo Pejrone is known for his sense of space and his in-depth knowledge of plants. But the estate covers 80 acres in all, and more is being cultivated–mainly through pruning, which is done three times a week.
Wooden steps, decks, and walkways appear to float over the shrubbery.
Nothing is fixed in this floating box. It is an adaptable viewing/eating/living area.
The greensward, most definitely manmade, is a sign of luxury. These are part of the Tuscan macchia, the dense evergreen shrubland found all over the Mediterranean.
It was original published on July 25, 2014.
For a Greek approach to building on wild mountains, see Landscape Architect Visit: Thomas Doxiadis on Antiparos.