Thus Motelombroso was born. The building that now houses the restaurant was once lived in by the caretaker who looked after the neighboring Naviglio Canal. It was transformed by the couple into a welcoming place dedicated to, as its slogan explains, “cibo, vino, otium” or “food, wine, and otium”—the last term, from Latin, isn’t easily translated but means time dedicated to leisure, contemplation, relaxation, or simply doing nothing. Motelombroso is an oasis of peace where visitors can escape from the city for a few hours.
Just as important for Alessandra and Matteo, Motelombroso is also their home. Upon entering, you will discover the building has a dual soul: on the ground floor there’s the restaurant, but on the second floor, their home can be found. “We moved here when it was still a work in progress; we didn’t touch anything when it came to the structure of the building and the only addition was the green house, a self-supporting structure that rests on a boundary wall dating back to the 1600s,” Alessandra says. “During the work we brought back some original elements such as some of the interior walls. They had been painted in a salmon pink, and when we removed it, we found frescoes from the 1800s.”
Inside, carefully selected details, furnishings, and works of art add up to interiors that perfectly fit this magical place. “I worked with Stefano Bongiorno on the interior design, creating custom pieces and relying on artisans from Piedmont to execute them. The house has a long history and we didn’t want to make it feel too heavy,” Matteo says. “We put a lot of effort into bringing pieces back to life, thanks to the work of my father, who is a restorer. We even went back to the original colors according to the old Pantone books; it was a project that had the added plus of bringing our two families closer.”
“We live and work here, and the lines between leisure, pleasure, and passion and between our public and private sides can be blurry. The artworks are an example of that,” Alessandra says. “The pieces we are most fond of have stories that connect different aspects of our lives. For example, after purchasing a work by Jonathan Monk, we started to correspond with him and that led, during the lockdown, to his creating the aprons and uniforms for our team and designing shopping bags that we sell to raise funds for charities on our website.
“Other pieces you see are from the guys at Older Studio,” adds Alessandra. “We have a very strong relationship with them as well. It’s all about sharing here. Of spaces, of memories, and of friendships. Even the kitchen is shared—used both by us and the restaurant. The boundaries blur and it becomes one.”