A centuries-old Sicilian monastery transformed into a lush and vibrant garden
On a scorching plateau between Syracuse and Catania, with the Ionian sea on one side and Mount Etna on the other, sits a sprawling 14th-century monastery - the Commenda di San Calogero, the home of the Matarazzo family since the 1830s.
Built under Spanish rule, among much earlier Siculi, pre-Greco remains and first inhabited by a religious community of monks and knights, it was later fortified and windows and balconies were added in the 19th century. Today, it is the seat of the Matarazzo family and a working farm, growing lemons, blood oranges, clementines, tangerines, almonds and olives, which are exported throughout Europe.
In 2002, the monastery and its cluster of outhouses were refurbished by Francesco and Gabriella Matarazzo, the monks' cells were converted into comfortable bedrooms and bathrooms, reception rooms were created for guests and the couple's son Andrea took charge of the landscaping. He designed an exquisite garden outside the monastery and, with the lightest of touches, one in the courtyard.
An architect by profession, Andrea found his true vocation working for legendary landscape designer Arabella Lennox-Boyd, who became his mentor. In 2013, he started his own company, which is based in Sicily, designing both houses and gardens. Andrea still collaborates sometimes with Arabella and her team on some of her projects.
Centred on a large courtyard, where swifts and swallows swoop and plunge, the monastery follows the traditional pattern, with a chapel on one side, a long line of cells and the abbot's house opposite. You enter the courtyard through an ancient weathered limestone arch, on each side of which clouds of lavender and pelargoniums, Salvia officinalis and Phlomis italica jostle for position. Jasminum grandiflorum and 'May Queen' roses weave their way around the windows of the bedrooms, their scents wafting in on the slightest breeze. On the left are two mature Seville orange trees, a pair of fountains gurgling away under them - the sound of running water welcome in the soaring heat of summer.
Making a garden outside the monastery was more challenging; as parched savannah-like plains came right up to its walls. 'The land hasn't changed since the beginning of time,' says Andrea. His great-grandparents had tried to create a garden in the 1920s, but water was scarce then and had to be carried up from the river by mules in huge terracotta pots.
Today, there is a mixture of tropical, English, Islamic and Venetian elements, with elegant avenues stretching out into the landscape. With the help of the gardener Luigi Bellitto, Andrea first carved out the Italian Garden, a sophisticated Classical design of four large beds surrounding a central round pond facing Mount Etna. This is fed by two raised channels of water flowing from a fountain, a system of irrigation that came to Sicily from the Arab world in the 9th century.
Five other large beds run alongside and, through them, tantalising vistas unfold. These are inspired by Andrea's memories of Caserta, the Royal Palace near Naples, where his family used to take part in show-jumping competitions. To create structure, the trees were planted first: cypresses, oaks with their thickly textured leaves, ilexes, jacarandas, Judas trees, ciccas and Ficus magnolioides - the magical cousin of the Banyan tree, the branches of which sweep down into the ground and take root everywhere. Washingtonia robusta palms, like grand old men with beards, loom over them all.
The herbaceous plantings followed: pelargoniums, agaves, philadelphus, hibiscus and Allium siculum abound, while the evergreen Agapanthus africanus, planted in curving lines, creates shape in winter. But old roses are Andrea's first love: the small crimson Rosa 'De Resht'. ‘Bloomfield Abundance’, 'Enfant de France, 'Old Blush China', 'Variegata di Bologna and 'May Queen' are among his favourites. Most of the plants in the garden came from cuttings from friends, were divided or propagated, or - like the fennels and the native euphorbias - were uprooted from the wilder areas of the property. There is an emphasis on the natural process: not too much control, weeding, tidying or pruning, but observing what the plants choose to do, as they twist and turn of their own accord.
Inspired by the Alhambra in Granada, Andrea designed two long, rectangular pools, bordered by Seville orange trees leading to a pair of Indian pavilions, painted in blue oxide mixed with lime. White agapanthus, alternating ‘Danaë’ and ‘Complicata’ roses, rust-coloured irises and 'Stella de Oro' daylilies froth below them. To soften the transition between the formality and lavishness of the Italian Garden and the wildness of the land. scape beyond it, a small wood of scented indigenous trees was established. Oaks, myrtle, bay and arbutus now lead the eye from the formal garden across the arid plains towards the horizon.
The mood changes totally on the east side of the monastery. Here, the design was conceived as an entrance to the house for the wedding of Andrea's sister Carla in 2015. Swathes of golden wheat surround a monumental circle of mown grass with a path running through it. From the top terrace of the villa, it looks like a modern sculpture.
On the west side are a series of informal intimate gardens: the pool garden; the pet cemetery, bordered in the old Italian style with sage and rosemary hedges; the sheep pen; and the well garden with its clouds of Pistacia lentiscus, softly sculpted by the wind. Staying closely connected to nature plays such an important part in Andrea's finely tuned aesthetic that he decided to leave the west side of the monastery untamed, without a garden - just primordial savannah, up to the walls.
A few years ago, when an interviewer suggested that Andrea had put the soul back into the garden, he summed up his philosophy: 'I don't think so: I have just listened to it'
Commenda di San Calogero is available to rent for holidays and events: commendadisancalogero.com
Eva Nemeth1/7Family dog Frida stands at the side of the monastery with views beyond to the sea.
Eva Nemeth2/7The residential part of the building opens onto restful greenery brightened by pots of scarlet geraniums.
Eva Nemeth3/7Pale pink Rosa 'Albertine' covers the upper wall of the chapel.
Eva Nemeth4/7A second pool, edged with mauve and rust irises and yellow 'Stella de Oro' daylilies leads to an Indian-style pavilion.
Eva Nemeth5/7The sun sets behind olive trees with wild grasses stretching to the horizon.
Eva Nemeth6/7A path to the monastery runs through swathes of wheat surrounding a mown-grass circle.
Eva Nemeth7/7Evergreen climber Ficus pumila and Rosa 'Albertine' cover a weathered domed building - originally a grain silo, then a hen house and now used as a hammam. Across from this, on the right, is a covered structure that contained an ancient weighing machine for cows.
