The important history
Relais Villa Matarazzo is located in Fanano, a stone’s throw from San Giovanni a Marignano, overlooking the Adriatic Sea and theMarche hills. The Villa was built at the centre of lands rich in traditions, culture and a medieval history.
Opposite to the Villa, guests can admire the Castle of Gradara, the birthplace Paolo and Francesca’s love affair narrated by Dante Alighieri in the fifth canto of the Inferno.
of the Inferno. ue to its elevated location, Villa Matarazzo dominates the entire Romagna Riviera. On clear days it is possible to enjoy a truly unique panorama, as guests are able to enjoy the view of Ravenna all the way to the nearby Gradara. Moreover, the hinterland offers the lovely view of Mount Carpegna and Mount Titano, as well as unmistakable silhouette of the Republic of San Marino.
Modern Medieval Manor
Villa Matarazzo was first used during the Middle Ages, when it housed a convent of cloistered nuns.
Afterwards, in 1881, Neapolitan entrepreneur Francesco Antonio Maria Matarazzo (Count Matarazzo) emigrates to Brazil in search of fortune. The odds were in his favour, as he became a very wealthy landowner, as well as a cannery industrialist and a real estate agent of Brazilian cities. he 1920s saw Francesco’s son Edoardo living his life between Rome and Brazil. Subsequently, during Fascism, Count Matarazzo adheres Benito Mussolini’s philosophy and is awarded, among other things, the gold medal of merit of the Balilla National Opera and the Fascist Honorary Card. In 1926, during Mussolini’s government, his title of Count (granted by the King of Italy in 1917 as a recognition to his services during the First World War) was transformed into a hereditary position.
Furthermore, during the 1930s, Edoardo Matarazzo marries Bianca Troise, who the daughter of the then Governor of the Bank of Italy. Enchanted by Fanano’s beauty, the newlyweds bought the manor off of the late Sane Cinelli, with the purpose of spending their summer holidays in the countryside. Later on, Villa Matarazzo became the Counts’ permanent residence until the Count’s death in 1958. Fanano citizens remember the couple as being rich, charming and giving, to the point where the whole town economically depended on them. In fact, the Matarazzos provided cooks, waiters, gardeners and all other essential workers.
Sadly, the Count’s death saw the degradation of Villa Matarazzo. Left to itself, the Ranocchi familyfound the beauty underneath the ruins of the manor. The potential they saw for the place led them to work with great passion and love, to build a beautiful relais that brings joy to the eyes and peace to one’s soul.
Rosy and Giovanni Ranocchi
Villa Matarazzo before the renovation
The new generation of the Ranocchi family
Beauty is found in the little
things or towns
Villa Matarazzo is located in the town of Fanano. The place takes its name from Roman origins: Fundus Fanianus, Fanio’s farm, who might have been an ancient villager from the Siligata and Cattolica pass.
Throughout the barbaric invasions, inhabitants found their way up the hill in order to defend themselves, which led to the creation of the Castrum Fanani. In other words, this was the castle of Fanano, whose walls at the time equalled to the whole village. Then, between the 11th and 14th century the whole land was subjected to the Archbishopric of Ravenna, who inherited it from the Byzantine Pentapolis.
With the arrival of the Malatesta family, the history of Fanano merges with that of Gradara. The town’s history was also influenced by the lordships of the Sforza, Della Rovere and Papal domination (1631). Unfortunately, from August ’44 to April ’45, Fanano was the hotspot of war fields, as it was located along the then Gothic line, which was the last Italian war front. At the centre of Fanano one can find the ancient parish church, dating back to around 1200 and dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel.