Explore Tuscany's Creative Hub: Design Meets Nature at LABottega

Nestled in the picturesque town of Pietrasanta, Tuscany, LABottega has evolved significantly since its inception in 1920. Originally launched as a shop by the great-grandparents of art director Serena del Soldato, the venue now encompasses a restaurant, guest accommodations, and an exhibition space. Del Soldato, who has been at the helm since 2011, has transformed LABottega into a vibrant cultural hub that intertwines art, design, and the local community.

Just above the town, del Soldato manages La Stellata, an organic farm that spans a hectare and houses a diverse array of animals, including geese, peacocks, and goats. The farm features a garden and 300 quercetano olive trees, a variety preserved by Slow Food initiatives. Each year, artists and designers visit La Stellata to create works inspired by the farm’s surroundings. These pieces are crafted with the help of local artisans and are displayed at LABottega before becoming part of the guest rooms. For instance, Federica Elmo's 2022 creation, ‘Naturamagica’, integrates dried acanthus branches into a bedside table, while another table draws inspiration from the grove's lemons, showcasing raw terracotta alongside powder-coated metal.

The latest initiative at LABottega, dubbed 'Outsiders', has been developed in collaboration with Tableau, a Copenhagen-based studio founded by Julius Værnes Iversen. This residency aims to forge a deeper connection between artists and the unique material culture of Pietrasanta. According to Iversen, the project is rooted in the belief that authentic creativity flourishes in a specific locale rather than simply being displayed in a detached environment. 'It’s a project built on trust,' he reflects, noting that he was the first guest at LABottega long before the residency was conceived.

Del Soldato emphasizes the importance of community in the residency, stating, 'Pietrasanta has an incredible network of artisans, growers, neighbours and makers. My role is to connect artists with that living community.' The collaboration between Iversen’s Copenhagen perspective and del Soldato’s local insights has led to a residency where hospitality becomes integral to the creative journey.

Participants in the Outsiders residency utilize local waste materials for their projects. The inaugural resident, Willem van Hoof, showcased his work in July 2026 with an exhibit titled ‘I’m Alone With My Thoughts’, featuring handmade ceramic vessels inscribed with his personal reflections. Following him, Berlin-based studio Yont created ‘Pietra Counter’, a modular listening bar crafted from marble tile remnants, which were salvaged from the founder’s family home.

Currently, Jacob Egeberg and Laurids Gallée are at work with discarded marble from the local quarries. Egeberg is creating reflective surfaces from rough offcuts, while Gallée is crafting tabletops from large reclaimed slabs. Egeberg is also featured at the ongoing Vestigia 2026 design platform, where his piece ‘Erratic’—a two-sided mirror—floats above a run of lavender at Villa Marie, an 18th-century estate undergoing restoration.

Curated by Cosimo Bonciani, this year’s Vestigia exhibition, titled ‘Don’t Call Me Collectible!’, challenges the notion of collectible design by exploring the interplay between design, craft, and material research. The showcase places artworks amid the villa's gardens, reflecting a dialogue with the natural landscape that has inspired artists for centuries. Costantino Gucci's work ‘Altera’, a mirrored sculpture, exemplifies this connection as it melds with the surrounding environment, inviting onlookers to engage with the nature around them.

Source: www.wallpaper.com