Set within the gentle landscape of the Asolo hills, the Biordo Vecchio farmhouse has been carefully renewed, turning a once rural structure into a contemporary home that still carries the spirit of its origins.
Project Name: Casolare Biordo Vecchio
Studio Name: Studio Bressan
Location: Asolo, Treviso – Italy
End of works: 2024
Surface: 180 m2
Volume: 740 m3
Dimensions: 14 m x 13 m x 7.5 m
Photographs: Emanuele Bressan
Positioned on a natural incline along Via Biordo Vecchio, the building forms part of a small group of houses lining the road. After passing through the entrance gate, the home appears with quiet elegance: its restored stone façade preserves the memory of the old dwelling and shields the interior from view. Three small round openings punctuate the mixed stone-and-brick wall, offering carefully controlled daylight while protecting the privacy of the rooms inside. Surrounding vegetation acts as a soft natural screen, deepening the sense of seclusion and tranquillity. Only when approaching the southeast corner does the house fully open up, gradually revealing its interior layout and its continuous dialogue with the surrounding landscape.
The design respects the original scale and traditional building techniques, while introducing a new double-height glazed extension to the southern porch. More than a simple architectural addition, this element reshapes the home’s relationship with the outdoors, shifting it from an inward-facing character to one that embraces the environment. The new porch forms a generous, fan-like opening that frames the greenery, flooding the living area with daylight and creating constant visual exchange between inside and out.
Inside, the atmosphere is warm and serene, shaped by natural materials and tactile finishes. Travertine and oak floors, pale plaster surfaces, and exposed timber beams reflect a deep connection with local tradition. Broad openings invite soft natural light into the rooms, creating gentle transitions throughout the day, while the expanded porch acts as a living threshold that draws the calm of the hills into the heart of the home.
The interior layout follows a clear and efficient logic: the ground floor living area develops as a seamless open space visually linked to the exterior, while the upper-level bedrooms maintain a quieter, more intimate tone.
Outside, the exposed stone walls and sloping roof remain faithful to local architectural language. A restrained, earthy palette allows the house to blend naturally into the hillside, achieving a harmonious balance between vernacular heritage and contemporary expression.
In this way, Biordo Vecchio becomes a welcoming and well-composed refuge—one that enhances the value of an existing structure and settles gracefully into the understated beauty of the Asolo landscape and the everyday rhythms of those who inhabit it.
