Located in the unspoilt countryside amongst the majestic rocks and hills nearby San Pantaleo, the breathtaking view of the crystalline sea of the Costa Smeralda with its 120 hectares of Mediterranean scrub enchanted the Prince.
December 20th dates the first purchase of a stazzo for the construction of a luxury villa in Costa Smeralda.
A stazzo is the name of a typical country house in the Gallura region in North-East of Sardinia.
Surrounded by several tanche (portions of land destined to farming and pasture), a stazzo property is usually enclosed by drywall, making it a self-sufficient structure. Every activity here is designed to sustain the family living within the stazzo.
The word stazzo comes from the Latin “Statio”, a residence, a place to rest, to stay, a place therefore dedicated to the family. As a form of permanent accommodation, the stazzo houses of Gallura date back to around 1500 a.C., toward the end of the feudal period, when the Feud certainly gave the inspiration to organize the management of a property's land and resources.
It was clear to Prince Aga Kahn and the many investors coming with him and after him, that the use of local, natural materials such as granite and juniper was a perfect idea not just for the stazzo houses: they were a perfect mean to create a new style of architecture moulding it into the landscape of the spectacular scenario of Costa Smeralda.
For architects such as Couelle, Vietti, Busiri Vici, Martin and Antonio Simon Mossa, the creation of a new refined architectural style characterized by the use of "poor" materials allowed to wisely enhance the beauty of their design while respecting the unspoiled perfection of nature.
Nowadays, the stazzo houses are the most sought for properties to enjoy a true Sardinian holiday experience and many developments and building companies even create new houses in the style of a stazzo, to maximize the beauty of the coast, the sea and the Mediterranean scrub.
