A 200 sq m Maremma farmhouse by PPDA with tuff and stone walls revealed under plaster, an internal concrete staircase, and salvaged brick from the stables moved to interior walls

Ricupaglia is a 200-square-meter farmhouse renovation between Magliano and Scansano in the Maremma region of southern Tuscany, by Presicci + Pantanella D'Ettorre Architetti. The building had originally operated as a split agricultural structure: stables on the ground floor, living quarters above, connected only by an external staircase. The renovation connects these 2 levels into a continuous interior and reimagines the building's relationship with its surroundings.

The first move in the renovation was to strip accumulated layers of plaster from the interior walls, revealing tuff and stone beneath. The irregular texture of these surfaces, now exposed, defines the character of the interior. An internal concrete staircase was added to create a vertical connection between floors, its material deliberately contrasting with the ancient stone while giving the house what the architects describe as a vertical spine. The existing external staircase was not removed but reconceived as a sculptural stone wall, a second facade that gives weight and architectural presence to what was previously a practical necessity.

The terracotta material from the original stables was redistributed rather than discarded. Salvaged carved brick flooring from the stable level was moved to the walls of the dining room and bedroom, where it reads as a warm surface treatment connected to the building's agricultural past. The architects describe terracotta as an ancient material with a contemporary spirit, and its placement on walls rather than floors is where that position becomes spatial rather than conceptual.

Small agricultural windows were replaced with large openings that frame the surrounding vineyards. A brick lattice wall separates the staircase zone from the living room: permeable, maintaining visual connection between spaces while providing a functional boundary.