Chapter I. Radici

In 1880 Maria, dreamt of a perfect lakeside retreat above the bustle of Bellagio. For five generations, the mothers and daughters of our family have, with determination and love, nurtured and passed down this dream. Their lives’ work is now in the hands of my mother Tiziana and myself, Giulia.

"I find my entire life cataloged within our gardens. When I walk the paths, I walk my past. I still love to wander barefoot, letting the damp grass cool my feet just as it did when I was small. I breathe deep the perfumes of the azaleas and ancient rhododendrons, or find a moment of peace hidden among the olive trees."

Where I would run around the gardens as a child, now I come to them for slow motion. Because while time moves on, the scents, the light, and the feelings remain unchanged. I am simultaneously the child who once hid in these bushes and the guardian watching a new generation discover them. It’s in this continuity that the greatest gifts are found.

But as you grow up, you start to understand yourself and the situations around you with more clarity. I began to see my mother from a new perspective, appreciating how incredibly lucky I was. She wasn't simply working. She was living a commitment that touched everyone around her. My model for the person I wanted to become was right here all along.

Now, I recognize why my mother gave so much of herself to this house. It was to care for the people of Belvedere Bellagio. Those who work here and those who come to stay.

Her husband, my father, died when I was nine years old. It was such an immense loss that my mother needed to cover it up to survive, and it was only relatively recently that we started talking about him. This is when I learned that he was the dreamer of the two.

I have started to rebuild that dreaminess in myself, but I’m also trying to rebuild the memory of him, both in this house and in my mother. After everything she has been through, the light and the dark, my main wish for Belvedere Bellagio is to make her proud.

“The good old days are happening right now, and I hope they’re happening for you, too, right here.”

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