EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS
DAUGHTER OF FAMOUS ITALIAN ARISTOCRATIC HOUSE
SHOWS US AROUND THE SPECTACULAR ROMAN PALAZZO IN WHICH SHE LIVES
Isabella Borromeo is one of Italy’s most fascinating women. An aristocratic beauty as engaging as she is elegant, she is never predictable. Among her many facets, she’s a world traveller with a soft spot for deserts; a voracious reader and fan of folk wisdom; a renowned hostess; and above all a loving, handson mother of three.
Like Isabella herself, the stunning Rome palazzo in which she lives is full of surprises. Amid its wealth of frescoes and antique treasures are countless personal touches that make it a welcoming home – she credits her beloved father Count Carlo Borromeo for instilling a strong sense of family in all his children.
As for the style savoir-faire on show, which she shares with sisters Lavinia and Matilde and Monégasque royal Beatrice, her half-sister, she credits that to designer Marta Marzotto, Beatrice’s late grandmother, whom she thinks of as her own.
Isabella, what can you tell us about this house and its origins?
“It’s situated close to the famous Via Veneto in the Villa Borghese park and was built as a hunting pavilion back in the 16th century. In those days it was called Grotta Pallotta, was nowhere near as large and was surrounded by woodland. I don’t think anyone lived here – it was somewhere to leave your horse, rest and have a meal.
“Later in the 1700s the architect Il Vignola built the staircase and extended the upper part.
“We have frescoes here showing 16th-century local landscapes, which were identified for us by an art historian friend. There’s one of the park at the time the palazzo was built. We’ve had them restored, changing only the coat of arms.”
How would you describe the style of the interior?
“This is a very Roman house, which has a certain charm. A great interior decorator from here, Toni Facella, furnished it, with impeccable but somewhat old-fashioned taste.
“There are Chinese vases and marble side tables, which reflect the Roman taste for impressive marbles like the ones you find in the Vatican and in baroque churches. The green copper horse is a copy of one of the four Byzantine horses at St Mark’s Basilica in Venice.
