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He may be all Diesel, but he has the land at heart
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RENZO Rosso, the founder of one of the most iconic denim brands in the world, has always cultivated passions, dreams and desires, never forgetting the land, his land.
Coming from a farmer’s family in Burgine, a 7,000-people village in the region of Veneto, Italy, the owner of denim powerhouse Diesel has a special link to his native land.
“I started my career in fashion almost by chance. In the beginning of the 1990s, this property, which is very near to our original headquarters in the Vicenza Province, became available and I decided to purchase it because I wanted to give my father a proof that I had somehow made it. I purchased it also because I had never forgotten the farming tradition and promised the owner that I would keep it a whole,” Rosso said.
Today, Rosso converted the farm to an organic one, taking steps that even went beyond those required by organic certification. “It is a sort of natural park where our neighbors and anyone passing by can walk through and enjoy,” he said.
As promised, Rosso didn’t change much of the original farmhouse. He simply renovated it and made it a special place for his family and friends, but also a place where he can invite secret guests, or where to organize work brainstorming sessions.
The big fireplace is the central piece of the ground floor. “We spent so many hours around it with friends, business partners and special guests. It makes everyone feel at home. What is not my touch, but I found there and decided to keep are all the hunting trophies. I have never hunted in my life but they felt like they belonged there,” Rosso said.
The 64-year-old Italian businessman used all natural materials throughout the farmhouse. “The farm is now fully organic and I think everything in it should be consistent with this concept. The interior design is simple but cozy and warm, and I love that you have a beautiful view of the valley also from the bathroom.”
“The panorama from the house is stunning. I love the air that you can breathe up on the hills around. I love the juxtaposition between tradition and innovation and modernity.”
In the private zone, he added a guest bedroom and a bathroom because when so many of his guests came to lunch or dinner they told him: “it would be so nice to sleep here!” The furniture he designed for the farmhouse are generally simple, natural pieces. “It has to feel like a farm or a home, not a showroom.”
Rosso said he is very eclectic in his interior designs style, and brave. “I’m not afraid to put a very important art piece in an unexpected place, or to mix 18th century furniture with normal contemporary pieces. The goal is to enjoy life, and free time with family and friends, to feel at home.”
Rosso also rescued the hilly land from being covered in cement. And now, the 100-hectare land not only provides with its fruits but also meadows that are home to cows, goats, sheep, horses and hens, as well as wild boars, roe deer, squirrels and birds, including falcons that have returned to repopulate the hills.
“When I’m in my vineyards and olive groves, I go back in time, to my childhood and to what my father taught me. My hands skillfully work not only fabrics but also the land, with the same passion.
Thanks to the hilly position and large surface area, Rosso started to cultivate vineyards and olive groves after purchasing the farm. “I honestly discovered wine late in my life, and thanks to the farm where there already was a vineyard, but its harvest was given to other wine producers. Then I had the chance to meet a very important winemaker, Roberto Cipresso, who told me about the uniqueness of these trees and of their location and invited me to study it more. Thanks to him today our wines receive some of the highest marks in international wine contests. My passion from wine comes from loving to drink it. I probably have one of the most impressive wine cellars but for me those wines are not a collection, they are the products I enjoy with the people I love the most,” he said.
His commitment to maintain the biodiversity and beauty of the hills where he grows vines and olive trees has inevitably led him to adopt agricultural practices that do not involve the use of any synthetic chemical substances.
“It makes me happy and content to see people jogging, families with children exploring nature, loving couples enjoying the beautiful landscape while calmly strolling along the road that crosses our property. It is a truly unique place and I believe that I made the right choice in saving the land.”
Q: What’s the best thing about living in Bassano del Grappa?
A: The quality of life is amazing, the food, the wine, the people, the air we breathe. It is in the middle of nature but at the same time just two hours’ drive from Milan or Florence, an hour’s flight from Paris or Barcelona. Not to mention half an hour (or little more) from ski slopes and the beach. Priceless.
Q: Describe your home in three words.
A: Eclectic. Warm. Surrounded by nature.
Q: What’s the first thing you do when you get home?
A: I go to kiss my youngest daughter, Sydne.
Q: How do you unwind?
A: I exercise, I play soccer, I ride mountain bike along the river, I invite friends over.
Q: Where do you spend most of your time at home?
A: In the garden. I am obsessed by plants and I always want to make sure they are well. But really I keep scouting new works to be done in the house, it makes it alive!
Q: What’s the view outside your window?
A: The garden, the river, and the top of the old town.
Q: What’s your favorite object in your home?
A: All my art pieces, as my selection criteria are very simple: they have to make me feel good.
Q: Where do you source furniture?
A: Anywhere in the world (or the net) where I see something that catches my eye.
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