Restoration of the farm
The origin
The complex, which in ancient times belonged to a monastery, dates back to the early 18th century and has all the characteristics of a typical Lombardy farmstead; other buildings of the same type dot the southern slope of the hills surrounding the town of Pontida, almost as though keeping guard over the lands which have been shaped over the centuries and dedicated to crops, vine-growing first and foremost.
Polisena stands on the top, enjoying a view as far as the eye can see and was originally surrounded by vineyards which have now been replanted. After it had passed through the hands of several owners until in the 1960s it was used as a summer colony for children and a community for rehabilitation, our idea of bringing it back to life was the natural desire to restore the now dilapidated building to its original purpose.
This led to the start of the project, which is based on the same principles that characterize the Tosca production of organic wine: a place on a human scale, that is eco-compatible, respectful of the environment and of the complete well-being of the individual and that only uses renewable sources of energy also had to see the light of day in Val San Martino, the westernmost part of Valcalepio, the DOC wine of Bergamo. Polisena, “The different farm holiday”.
The restoration
Our first objective was to preserve, as a historical memory, the four buildings with vaulted ceilings; this meant that the parts that could not be salvaged were demolished completely by hand. This way, the material that could be saved was then used in the restoration (oak beams and trusses, lintels, steps and stone details, terracotta tiles, wrought iron, keystones and tie beams). The vaults, after being cleaned and “taken down” were meticulously consolidated and insulated with natural products and together with the whole perimeter of the building, we ensured their structural safety with piling and soldier pile walls.
In the rebuilding, we gave preference to the use of local materials (arabescato orobico stone, FSC certified timber, slate, stones for dry stone walls and facings).
The project revolves around THE MAIN BUILDING, with original and innovative solutions taking shape around it, which have ensured technical performances leading to the prestigious certification described below.
The natural wood used for the XLAM panel, without toxic substances, with absolute guarantee of origin and from renewable forest resources, combined with a very high performing insulation system, ensures incredible structural values and excellent heat insulation and soundproofing, as well as fire and seismic resistance; this product has been used for the load-bearing walls, the floor slabs and the roofing structures.
THE SYSTEMS, again with special attention to the ecological compatibility of the solutions and materials used, represent the motor of the building: the objective is self-sufficiency guaranteed by using only renewable sources: geothermal energy, photovoltaic panels, thermal solar energy and self-production of hot water with wood fuel have guaranteed achieving this; the peaks in consumption are covered by the standard electric line compensated by the exchange on the spot of energy.
THE CERTIFICATIONS Special attention has also been paid to the psycho-physical well-being of guests.
The use of eco-compatible products, bio switches, monitoring and neutralizing radon, furniture without toxic substances such as isocyanates and formaldehyde etc., natural fabrics, insulating and thermo-acoustic material in wood fibre. All this has allowed us to obtain, in addition to class A+ Cerved, the prestigious Climahotel certification from the Casaclima agency of the province of Bolzano. We are the first farm for holidays in Italy (and the first hotel in general in Lombardy) to have obtained this certification which satisfies the rigid protocol in three fundamental points: “life, nature and transparency“.
Total well-being
Not only the quality of the offer to guests is aimed at the total psycho-physical well-being of the stay, with relaxation completely away from frantic daily life, ensured by the eco-friendly premises, home-produced and local organic food and by a situation of total peace and quiet (TV only on request, bio-wellness, bio-climatic greenhouses, total immersion into the wine-making, animal raising and farming activities, walks in a beautiful natural setting), but the strict protocol of Climahotel, in the three global aspects mentioned above, embraces a total vision of aware tourism in symbiosis with nature.
Some fundamental aspects are, for example: the management of sorted waste, the treatment of sewage in bio-depuration, sustainable mobility, the non-use of disposable products, the optimized energy management of cars, energy saving by the sources of lighting and the anti-lighting pollution requirements, the management of water resources with the collection of rainwater, special attention to accessibility for the disabled, the management of autochthonous greenery and the information given to clients. These and many other aspects make Polisena the ideal place to spend pleasant moments… near the city and very near the sky!
