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The house “de Sonnaz I” is the most exposed point of Dolcedo-Ripalta. Its main part stands like a quarry-stoned monolith with clear edges in the tangle of houses of Ripalta. The estate is located in the centre of Ripalta but is at the same time isolated, quiet, and private. One can have contact but is not forced to. Behind the gate and the thick walls, one can withdraw perfectly but see ‘everything’. With its generosity, it comes with the typical architectural style of the rural towns in Liguria.

The house was built around 860 A.D. (studies of the arched formwork boards of the Cantina showed this) and later belonged to a monastery of the Benedictines high over the Prinotal. For many centuries, it served as a residential house or storage place around the surrounding olive cultivation. Today’s owners discovered the estate in the early 1970s by chance after it had been abandoned 25 years earlier, purchased and renovated it.

From 2012 to 2014, the house was renovated and modernised with much effort and care. The rough Borgo-like and generous character of the house was emphasized through the use of forms with a clear design.

The main double gate leads you into the “Corte” of the estate. From here, you reach the spiry main house, the Dependence, and the adjacent apartment “de Sonnaz II”.

Directly behind the main gate, you reach the 47 m² large open lobby of the main house. It is impressive through its arches, the double vault, and the mighty pillars, upon which the entire house stands. Especially during hot summer days, it is the ideal contrast to the roof terrace. During the summer, it can be used for get-togethers, small parties, or events. 

The generous eat-in kitchen with a high arch and fireplace is finely equipped. Any ambitious cook can create Mediterranean delicacies here. The walnut table provides space for eight people. Here, you can enjoy long winter evenings around the crackling fireplace.

In the adjoining living area and stairwell, you feel as though you are in a castle. High walls of quarry stone dominate. The sleeping areas in the main house and the Dependence are generous or small and cosy. Each sleeping area has its own bathroom. In the living room, with its walls of quarry stone, you can comfortably fit eight people. Here, you can withdraw for long conversations or relax and enjoy the view through the four high arched windows or if the weather isn’t exactly ideal, you can watch HDTV, pass the time with board games, or read one of the books from the small library. You can take books home if you leave another book of equal quality in the house.

Reaching the top, you step out onto the large roof terrace with a loggia and breath-taking 360˚ view. The town of Ripalta, the large Prinotal, shaped by old olive groves and medieval towns, and the sea 5 km away lie at your feet from here. An ideal place for relaxing, eating, or celebrating with small parties.

"de Sonnaz I" belongs to the unique domiciles of the “Riviera dei fiori” and is at the same time the central house of a somewhat larger building complex “Il Borgo di Ripalta”. If you feel like taking some time off at the Riviera and want to experience it purely and authentically, contact us here.