A talk with Carlo Cracco e Rosa Fanti
A view stretching across Romagna, from Gabicce to Ravenna, centuries-old olive trees, vineyards and cherry trees gave rise to Vistamare, the new project by chef Carlo Cracco and Rosa Fanti. Bringing together farming, hospitality, and cooking, it was born of the desire to grow the produce they prepare and serve at the table. More than that, it is also a return to the roots for Rosa, who grew up in Santarcangelo, and a place to find a more intimate rhythm away from life in Milan.
This same idea of hospitality runs through the interiors, developed with Charlotte Mello Teggia. Reclaimed wood and stone sit alongside textiles, vintage furniture and contemporary pieces, while Mutina ceramics give the rooms their character. The collaboration grew out of Rosa’s visits to Casa Mutina and her discovery of the stories, research and culture behind each collection.
We spoke with Carlo and Rosa about the relationship between landscape and cooking, the choices that made Vistamare the home they had imagined, and the people who helped them bring the project to life. Their reflections also touch on You Can Only Work With People You Like, the evening at Spazio Mutina in which Carlo took part, dedicated to the value of relationships and the meeting of design, art and cooking.
Vistamare began, first and foremost, with a place. When you first visited Ciola Corniale, what did you imagine in this landscape?
The first time we arrived at what is now our farm, we were struck above all by the view, which takes in the whole of Romagna, from Gabicce to Ravenna. Then we looked around us: centuries-old olive trees, vineyards, cherry trees – exactly everything we wanted.
Rosa, this project also represents a return to your roots in Romagna. How much of your own story has shaped Vistamare?
Vistamare began as a business project. The idea of having a farm and growing the produce that we then prepare and serve at the restaurant felt like the natural completion of our work, bringing everything full circle. Finding this farm in Santarcangelo, where I was born and raised, also turned it into a personal journey: a way to celebrate a region I love and whose potential I know well.
You have described Vistamare as a place to rediscover a different sense of time and the value of simple things. At a time when hospitality often seeks to create increasingly elaborate experiences, what does choosing simplicity mean to you?
We live and work in Milan, a city that is wonderful for everything it offers, but also hectic. Our restaurant is in the Galleria, right at the beating heart of the city, where everything happens. Having somewhere we could retreat to and welcome guests and friends in a more intimate, relaxed setting was, first of all, something we needed ourselves.
Vistamare brings together many different aspects: a farm, a home, a place for hospitality and dining. How did you find a balance between them while preserving the intimate, domestic character of the project?
It is the place itself that makes the difference. It encourages you to slow down, to stay there without wanting to be anywhere else. The sea and the Riviera are close by, but you find yourself preferring to look out at them from here rather than go down and experience them.
Carlo, the relationship with the land and the seasons has always been central to your cooking. What changes when the place where you cook is also where you grow, produce and welcome guests?
For someone who works in a kitchen, it is the best possible situation. It is precisely why I had been looking for a farm for so long. I can grow the fruit and vegetables I then use in my recipes, and often I let whatever is available inspire me. That is what happened with Panciliegia, for example. I had just picked some delicious cherries and decided on the spot to make a sort of summer panettone, using those cherries instead of raisins and candied fruit. It is now one of the desserts people ask me for most.
Rosa, let’s talk about the interiors. Before Vistamare took its final shape, you visited Casa Mutina several times. How did those visits lead to the idea of involving Mutina in the project?
I visited Casa Mutina several times, and what fascinated me most was that behind every single tile there is a whole world of beauty, art, design and culture. That is exactly what I look for in a home: a mix of different stories and flavours. When the time came to furnish the agriturismo, Mutina was the first name I thought of. From there, I had fun working with Charlotte Mello Teggia to choose the elements that would best express the world of Vistamare.
Charlotte Mello Teggia’s project takes light and the landscape as its starting points, with rooms that have distinct colour identities and bring together Mutina ceramics, textiles, vintage pieces, contemporary objects and bespoke furniture. What kind of atmosphere did you want to create?
A welcoming, comfortable setting: a home for everyone. Choosing the pieces, colours and shapes together was great fun and very stimulating. The result is a place that is now exactly as I imagined it.
Mutina collections appear in several areas of Vistamare, alongside materials closely associated with rural architecture – wood, plaster, brick and stone. How did you choose the surfaces, and what were you looking for in ceramics for this project?
All the surfaces were chosen with respect for the place and its surroundings. We used many reclaimed materials, such as wood for the stairs and floors, and stone. We wanted the ceramics to give the rooms a touch of character. Patricia Urquiola’s Chamotte tiles, for example, make a striking impression in the living area, covering the entire fireplace too, which becomes the focal point around which people gather.
Mutina is shaped by encounters with designers, artists and architects, and by the belief that relationships can lead to something unexpected. In your own work – from cooking to hospitality and the creation of Vistamare – how important is choosing the people you collaborate with?
It is an integral part of our work. In the kitchen, we have young, motivated people who are driven by a great passion for what they do, and they convey that passion to others. Beyond the kitchen, in all our projects, we like to work with excellent professionals who share our vision and from whom we can always learn something new.
Carlo, in September you were at Spazio Mutina for You Can Only Work With People You Like, an evening centred on the value of relationships. How important is it today to create opportunities for design, art and cooking to come together as different forms of expression?
The added value of these worlds lies in the opportunity to come together and create something new and beautiful. After all, creativity, a sense of beauty and research are inherent in all of them. Bringing them together heightens the experience.
