We stop in front of a small iron gate. A narrow lane has led us here; the lettering is discreet. We look at each other. Are we really in the right place?
About twenty kilometres from Bologna, in the direction of Ferrara, lies the Elizabeth Country House near Minerbio in the Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The surroundings are unremarkable. What awaits us behind this gate is hard to imagine at first.
We ring. The gate opens. Hardly have we parked on the small car park when the lady from reception comes out to meet us. Her welcome is warm and uncomplicated. We experience this kindness again and again during our stay. You feel welcome, personally looked after and quickly a little at home.
Then we look around. And I think: this is one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever seen.
A Living Room you want to stay in
The Living Room in particular has a hold on me. Pale wooden beams span the room, red sofas stand around a round table. Flowers, books and the many different pieces of furniture spark curiosity. Walking on, you discover the billiard table and an unusual horse sculpture that immediately draws my eye.
It is a room in which you simply have to feel at ease. You want to sit down, read something or hold a long conversation. At the same time, there is so much to see that I soon pick up my camera again.
For me, what makes this house special becomes tangible here: a very personal interior and the feeling of being genuinely allowed to use these rooms. The beauty belongs quite naturally to the stay.
A residence with history
The buildings date from the early 20th century and were originally a family residence. Later, Mario Bandiera, the entrepreneur behind the Italian fashion label Les Copains, shaped the estate into his personal retreat. Furniture and collected pieces from his travels found their place here.
In the transformation into a hotel, much of this collection was preserved. Interior designer Fabrizio Cocchi combined the existing pieces with today's concept. Hand-painted walls, restored ceiling paintings and historic furniture shape the three villas with their eleven individually designed rooms.
This history fits my impression on site. The rooms have idiosyncrasies that you enjoy discovering. Anyone who values historic architecture, craftsmanship and individual interiors will find plenty here to occupy them.
Visiting Bologna and Ferrara — and coming back here
For a trip to Bologna or Ferrara, the Elizabeth Country House is a special address if you like to stay in the countryside. I find the idea lovely: walking through the cities, visiting palazzi and churches, eating in an osteria — and then coming back here.
The garden and the pool invite you to plan time at the house as well. So does the Living Room. For me, that is part of the luxury of this stay: being out and about while also having a place where I am happy to stay.
A discovery within Marriott Bonvoy
The Elizabeth Country House is a member of Design Hotels and takes part in the Marriott Bonvoy programme. We booked our stay through Marriott as well. Special conditions apply for member benefits at Design Hotels and should be taken into account when booking.
For Bonvoy members looking for small houses with a character of their own, I find this address especially interesting. The personal care and the manageable size make a stay here special.
Here with the camera — and a wedding in mind
While photographing here, I already see a couple in these rooms. The preparations in the morning. A dress in front of the painted walls. The groom in the Living Room, his closest friends around him. Later, the two of them beneath the arches, in the garden or by the water.
My photos show what appeals to me about this place: the reflection of the villa in the pool, the view from the shade into the garden, the architecture seen through a round opening. Such perspectives occupy me at weddings too. I want to consciously include a place in the pictures and find within it something that suits the couple.
If you are planning a destination wedding in Italy, the journey you share and the time with your guests are part of the story for me. I think of conversations in the Living Room, of reunions with friends and of the nerves before the ceremony. With the portraits I give you direction; the encounters in between I accompany attentively. Carefully composed pictures and spontaneous moments tell the story of your days together.
Whether, and in what setting, a wedding at the Elizabeth Country House is possible must be arranged directly with the hotel. As a photographer, the place has already sparked very concrete ideas in me. For couples and wedding planners, it is an invitation to think about a personal wedding story in surroundings like these.
If you are planning your wedding in Italy and recognise yourself in my view of this place, tell me about your plans. Under Wedding Stories on schopho.com you will find insights into my wedding photography.
What I take with me
I take the warm welcome with me, the joy of discovering and the wish to sit in the Living Room a little longer. And I take pictures with me — ones already photographed and ones that first came into being in my head.
In front of the small iron gate we were still unsure whether we were in the right place. Now I know that I would gladly come back.
Photography: Peter Scholz / SCHOPHO
