The Castle of Sammezzano, a famous example of Orientalist architecture located in the hamlet of Leccio, in the municipality of Reggello (Florence), is coming back to life on the small screen with the remake of the series Sandokan, airing on Rai Uno from Dec. 1 in prime time. The structure, which was chosen as the residence of the Sultan of Brunei, hosted filming more than a year ago, allowing the public to admire the richly decorated interiors of a unique mansion in Europe. Today, the arabesque castle is at the center of an ambitious recovery project promoted by the Moretti family and, as reported by the inToscana website, safety work has been underway since October, with the aim of transforming the main floor and the monumental park into an accessible and usable route.
Fifty years after the historic Rai adaptation, Sandokan returns to the screen with an international cast. Can Yaman (in the role that was once Kabir Bedi) plays the lead role of Emilio Salgari’s hero, while Alessandro Preziosi takes on the role of Yanez, Alanah Bloor plays Marianne, Ed Westwick is Lord Brooke, Madeleine Price is Sani and John Hannah plays Sergeant Murray. The series, produced by Lux Vide for Rai Fiction and conceived by Luca Bernabei, brings the focus back to adventure fiction set in Borneo in the first half of the 19th century, characterized by conflicts between local people and European colonial powers. The architecture of the castle is distinguished by its fusion of Oriental and eclectic styles, representing one of the most remarkable cases of European Orientalism. In fact, the arabesque villa consists of 65 rooms decorated with stucco, mosaics, Moorish arches and bright colors, and its structure has already attracted the attention of filmmakers and film productions; in 2015 it was chosen by Matteo Garrone for the film The Tale of Tales. The interior decoration, rich in details and bright colors, gives the castle an atmosphere reminiscent of fairy-tale and oriental settings, helping to make it instantly recognizable.
In any case, the history of Sammezzano is complex and articulated. Originally the site of a Roman settlement, the complex was transformed in the 19th century by the heir of the Panciatichi Ximenes of Aragon, becoming one of the greatest examples of Orientalist architecture on the continent. Since 1927 it has been protected as a property of special public interest: in fact, the property itself has been the subject of numerous vicissitudes. After the death of the last owner, the castle fell into bureaucratic limbo: sold to a private company in 1955, it was converted into a restaurant-hotel in the 1970s, but closed in 1990. Subsequently, the complex passed to another company that later went bankrupt in 2017, with unsuccessful public auctions. In 2017 it was scheduled to be purchased by a company from the United Arab Emirates, but the bankruptcy court annulled the deal. Meanwhile, a concrete eco-moster had been built on the adjacent land that was never completed. Public attention to Sammezzano, however, has remained constant over time. The occasional extraordinary openings, promoted in collaboration with the FAI, have always been full of visitors. Moreover, over the years, the Save Sammezzano committee has collected tens of thousands of signatures, involving both public opinion and institutions.
The recovery of Sammezzano and its appearance in the new television series represent two sides of the same enhancement process. The media visibility offered by the RAI drama helps to focus attention on a historical and artistic heritage that can tell, through its architecture and decoration, the complexity of cultural influences that marked 19th-century Europe. The current restoration project, led by the Moretti family, aims to safeguard the historical integrity of the building while ensuring cultural and social enjoyment. The appearance of Sammezzano in Sandokan also offers an opportunity to rediscover the architectural peculiarities of a building that, although closed to the public for decades, continues to exert fascination and interest. The fusion of Moorish elements, polychrome stuccoes, mosaics and elaborate geometries makes the castle unique in the Italian and European panorama, and the ongoing restoration, accompanied by a cultural enhancement strategy, could mark the beginning of a new phase for the mansion, allowing it to reconcile its complex history with the needs of contemporary enjoyment.
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| The "Castle of Sandokan," starring on Rai Uno, is located in Tuscany and is the Castle of Sammezzano |
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