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taps continue to exhibit the same high- quality, effortless and characteristically avantgarde Italian craftsmanship unique to the region.
Part of its success is due to the unique collaborative structure adopted by Fantini since it started in 1947. The brand does not have an internal design team. Instead, it works specifically with a rotating spectrum of artists from all walks of life for their award-winning designs. Partnerships with heavyweights Enzo Mari, Piero Lissoni and Naoto Fukasawa have served Fantini well and cemented its place as one of the best in the industry. However, it was the iconic Fantini design I Balocchi that put Fantini in the spotlight in the 70s.
Playful and controversial Fantini turned the humble tap – a small, functional yet usually overlooked item in the bathroom – into an artistic centrepiece, using pop-art colours, which can now be found in art galleries around the world.
Fantini showrooms in Milan, Moscow and New York are elegantly designed and immerse consumers in the luxurious world of Fantini taps.
But it is the CEO’s latest project, Casa Fantini Lake Time – a luxury boutique hotel in Pella, which offers the ultimate Fantini experience.
TIME AT FANTINI
She acquired Casa Fantini from a powerful man known only as Carletto and who had been in Africa during the war. “Carletto used to make an apple cake in his old aluminium cake tin for my father’s birthday. The cake was objectively very good but the legendary aura was magnified by the fact that he had never wanted to give us the recipe and had always been very vague about the doses of the various ingredients, and how to prepare them. Mystery fed the myth.”
Acquiring Carletto’s house was not without challenges. “I tried to buy it without success.
Then one night I had a dream, which I interpret as a sign now because I dreamed Carletto was telling me to make the apple cake. That very afternoon, I got the call: they were selling the house! Today, this delightful cake is the
symbol of Casa Fantini for me.”
With aspirations to boost tourism to the village of Pella and to offer her designers and partners a place to reside, the 11-room Casa Fantini was brought to life with well-known architect and friend Piero Lissoni leading the project and using the natural surroundings and Lake Time as the inspirations.
Lissoni took on both the renovation of the factory and the design of Casa Fantini, transforming Carletto’s house into a three-story stuccoframed structure attached to a contemporary new adjoining wing.
The dialogue between Fantini Rubinetti and Casa Fantini reflects the same social care that Daniela conveys towards communities associated with the brand. Creating jobs for locals and increasing tourism is a priority to help the region remain relevant.
“The main landmark in the town has been an ice cream shop in a historical tower,” Fantini says. “Our hotel will give added value and attract more tourism. We live in a beautiful place and it influences the design of our products. We wanted to express that in the hotel as well.”
While an intimate little café, Blue Lagoon, in the village is open to the public, the melded newer building is home to a restaurant serving only hotel guests. More like a dining room, it is where the owner has her meals, too.
SEAMLESSLY CURATED
Chef Paolo Bullone heightens the experience with local specialities reflecting the rich bounty of producers in the area.
Working to seasonal menus, he creates gourmet dishes without too much exaggeration or theatrics. Buttered seared foie gras, handmade ravioli bursting with parmesan cheese in a simple white sauce and, my personal favourite, scampi carpaccio laced over silkysmooth risotto paired with an oaky yet fruity 2015 Nervi Gattinara
Barolo... Fantini definitely knows how to entertain her guests.
In fact, everything experienced at the hotel is neither contrived nor orchestrated but seamlessly curated by Fantini and her team. The food tastes this great because she loves it and wants her guests to enjoy it, too.
Breakfast is one of the highlights at Casa Fantini Lake Time. Excellent service from smiling staff, croissants from the oldest bakery in town and strong specialty coffee best enjoyed on the balcony overlooking San Giulio on a clear day are on offer; the experiences are unforgettable.
The furnishings and architecture also show her unrivalled, flawless style. All the rooms have a large balcony overlooking the waters where the morning sun illuminates
San Giulio, encouraging guests to spend a day discovering everything that Orta has to offer.
Fortunately, spending a lazy afternoon confined to Casa Fantini can be guilt-free, if not encouraged. The rooms share the common theme of water, with the larger suites displaying hues of blue light glowing in the main bedroom to bring the natural surroundings inside. The expansive bathrooms, fitted with a pleasing collection of Fantini taps and faucets, vary in each room and all the inbuilt showers double as a steam room.
But like any good house guest, one must leave the room and mingle with the hospitable hotel family.
The lounge is inviting with sleek and rustic combinations of apparently random furniture – farmhouse tables, red spinning chairs and upholstered sofas you could easily fall asleep on – that do not distract from the natural environment.
Casa Fantini’s overall spirit is without a doubt bewitching, capitalising on the idyllic setting of the lake and the famous apple cake that started it all. In fact, at an outstretched communal table in the lounge, guests freely mingle, enjoying Fantini’s Apple Cake. Warm, inviting and calling out like the waters of Orta, its tempts all to relax, enjoy and return to this tiny piece of heaven on earth.