As soon as I stepped into Castel Brando, I had the feeling I had entered someone’s family home. The atmosphere of a sleepy summer afternoon, the cicadas, and couples by the pool dozing off with an open book on their chests.
The house was built in 1853 for Dr De Zerbi, a military doctor in Napoleon III’s army. A few years later, it was bought by the Calisti family, who returned to Corsica after making their fortune trading sugar cane in what was then Saint-Domingue. Thus, one of Corsica’s famous Maisons d’Américains – the lavish villas of men who returned home from the New World – was born.
Gatsby-esque Scenes
As I sat in the garden of Castel Branda, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had stepped into the film The Great Gatsby.
Dresses fluttering in the summer breeze. Gentlemen in linen suits. Crystal champagne glasses quietly clinking amidst the chatter of guests. Music drifting from the drawing-room and evenings that last until dawn.
They say that this is what life was once like in this villa. Lavish receptions and summer parties, gatherings and conversations about art and the Mediterranean.
Today, such gatherings no longer take place, but the atmosphere remains, and I can, for a moment, travel back in time to that bygone era.
Conversations in the courtyard while playing boules
The family who now run the hotel have preserved the memories rather than replacing them with new furniture. The library full of books, the gramophone, family photographs, old objects and small details don’t look like hotel decor. It feels as though the family has only popped out for a moment, leaving you the chance to be a part of their story for a day.
In the courtyard, time has barely changed. Those who love tradition and a game of boules still gather, with conversations that last slower than a summer afternoon.
A distinguished lady from the Belle Époque
And then there is its distinctive red façade.
It is reminiscent of an old lady from the Belle Époque – distinguished, charming and dignified. It does not try to impress. It is enough for it to be what it is.
Perhaps that is precisely why Castel Brando is one of those places from which you don’t just take photographs. You take away the feeling that, for one day, you have lived in a house that has been preserving the stories of its owners and guests for more than 170 years.
Written by Nataša Nikodijević Savin
Photo: @myjourney.rs
Location: Hotel Castel Brando
