A room with a view, from olive trees to Lake Garda

«A corner of the Mediterranean in northern Italy» is how owner Andrea Cretti describes Oleeva, a quiet getaway set amongst the greenery of one of Riva del Garda’s historic olive groves. The property, designed by Studio Campetti and officially opened last July, stands on the slopes of Mount Brione just a short walk from Lake Garda in the province of Trentino. Amid the beauty of the landscape, guests can savour the experience of being surrounded by centuries-old olive groves as well as the citrus trees and flowering plants that grow in the guest house gardens. As Cretti explains, the elegant B&B was established as an extension of the family’s main business, the nearby garden centre which produces and sells potted plants. The project commissioned from the Trentino-based architecture firm was to develop «a special type of accommodation, where all the rooms would have access to a corner of the garden, a kind of Mediterranean village», explains the owner. Tourists staying in the area are mainly from northern European countries, particularly Germany and the Netherlands, and they tend to be outdoor sports enthusiasts keen on water sports, cycling, climbing and hiking. Oleeva’s mission is to offer a quiet getaway, a place where guests can chill out and enjoy moments of tranquillity. With this in mind, all 12 rooms have their own private green area — a garden in the case of the suites and superior rooms and a small patio for the smaller rooms. The rooms are named after the most common varieties of olives grown in the Lake Garda area — such as Casaliva, Coratina, Leccina and Frantoio — and are located on a single level in separate, independent blocks connected by shared corridors. The unifying theme behind the project is its essential, minimalist style with clean shapes and lines, reflected in the interiors with their contemporary design furniture. Considerable attention has also been devoted to the design of the common areas, such as the large infinity pool and the solarium area extending out onto the large green lawn, the perfect place for guests to relax while on holiday. The designers opted prevalently for neutral materials that do not overwhelm the natural scenery, such as sandstone for the outer walls, a reminder of the presence of a former nearby quarry. One highly original feature is the choice of the flooring for the breakfast area with veranda, perfect for the Lake Garda microclimate. Andrea Cretti personally chose the Kintsugi collection from Fioranese, in the colour Hibi Darkness, which combines a concrete effect with the luminescence and texture of metal. The collection is inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which involves reassembling fragments of a broken object with molten gold. «The choice of the tiling proved highly challenging,» explains Oleeva’s owner. «Nothing seemed to fit in with the reinforced concrete ceiling, the large glass surfaces and the exterior paving. All the solutions we tried out seemed to get lost. We needed something aesthetically different that would stand out from the composition. After all, the memories that guests take home with them from a holiday tend to be the small details, the special touches they will never forget.»