Monte Sante Marie
is a favorite spot for ‘unusual’ people. The owners, Daniela
and Stefano, are already known to be a little eccentric: she,
editor, copywriter and bibliophile, he, journalist, traveler and farmer.
Alongside you’ll find their two dogs, Spargapise
(called ‘Sparga’ and the only known dog to purr like
a cat!) and Mose’, a serious
and timid white maremmano Shepard. And, last but not least, a slew of
cats of various ages, natures and colors.
The inner circle of Monte Sante Marie closes itself around it’s collaborators:
Fernando ‘Armonici’, the wizard of restoration and the soul
responsible for all that is antique; Azeglio, the very patient gardener
and green thumb of the vegetable garden; Ernesto, the ‘old-fashioned’
huntsman; a crowd of women who are in charge of welcoming the guests,
reservations, administration and supervision; and lastly, Luciana, Sandrino,
Fabio, Enzo and a long line of excellent suppliers.
In addition to those above, is a slew of famous
and not so famous friends who come to visit and give Monte
Sante Marie it’s tranquil, interesting and fun atmosphere. They arrive
with their stories, ideas and surround the dinner table (expertly laden
by Daniela) with laughter.
Not all can be named, with respect to privacy, but here is a brief list:
George Schneeman- painter, ceramist and art collector from New York
Carla della Beffa- painter and artist
Massimo Giannoni- painter and professor
Massimo Pacifico- photographer, journalist and editor
Pier Giorgio Balocchi- scultor
Susanna Petruni- RAI Television journalist
Vincent Tortora- writer
Phyllis Tortora- sociology historian
Graziella Casini- expert in the history of fabrics and textiles
Valdemaro Casini- journalist and writer
Giovanni Bogani- film critic
Emilio Giannelli- satire cartoonist
Roberto Barzanti- European Community Parliamentarian
Tobias Piller- correspondent of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper
Ettore Vittorini- journalist
Davide Di Corato- gastronomic journalist
And also: public administrators, politicians, artists of all natures, television stars, poets and many other guests that... even after only one visit… have become friends!
