This Tuscan Chapel Becomes a Sanctuary of Creativity

Summary

• Atelier Vago transformed the Pailunga Tuscan Chapel into a versatile cultural space and artist residency
• Key features include a blue iron staircase, a mezzanine sleeping area and a piano in the apse
• Built with 400,000 bricks, it blends heritage, artistry and nature

Tuscany-based design practice, Atelier Vago, led by Carlotta Di Sandro and Cecilia Marcheschi, undertook the transformation of the Pailunga Tuscan Chapel into a versatile cultural space and artist residency near Fauglia, Italy. Once a small, deconsecrated chapel that served as the liturgical and social center for a historic farming estate, the structure was redesigned to embody a “spiritual vocation” for the creative act. The architectural project was guided by the principle of enhancing what remains and preserving historical traces, with the ambition of creating a “house for art” anchored in the present yet projected into a timeless dimension.

Nestled in the quiet countryside of Fauglia, Tuscany, the chapel forms part of the historic Villa di Pailunga estate. Commissioned by composer and psychologist Giulio Fagiolini, the renovation sought to restore the site’s spiritual vocation while reimagining it as a venue for art, workshops, and creative retreats. Atelier Vago’s design emphasizes preservation of surviving traces while introducing bold contemporary gestures, weaving together past and present in a continuous dialogue.

The interior intervention was strategically minimal to maintain the essential spatiality of the original double-height nave. New functions, including a kitchen, bathroom services and a sleeping area on a preserved wooden mezzanine, were inserted along a longitudinal band to leave the central hall intact. A bold use of color provides a striking contrast with the historic structure, softening spaces that might otherwise feel austere. This pop of color is most evident in the vivid, bright blue chosen for the self-supporting iron staircase, a hue inspired by remaining fragments of a fresco on the apse.

For the home’s façade, Atelier Vago chose to leave the chapel’s surroundings untouched, preserving the natural landscape of holm oaks and spontaneous greenery. Existing windows frame views of the Tuscan hills, while a skylight opens directly to the sky, reinforcing the connection between interior and nature. Sustainability was integral to the project: local artisans were engaged to craft bespoke elements such as the staircase, reducing costs and highlighting regional craftsmanship. The result is an intimate refuge immersed in nature, where time slows and creativity flourishes. More than a restored chapel, Pailunga stands as a stage for human creativity, a house for art that reveals the sacred within everyday life.