History

Discover the past to give life to the future

It happens sometimes, for one reason or another, that the past demands our attention. It happens because it is precisely to the past that we look when we are thinking to create a new future. And this was the beginning of our story. We were thinking to create a hotel in Orosei since long time. In the conviction that this area with its village and its culture had much to offer to visitors. Visitors that are more travellers rather than just tourists who escape from holiday resorts and are looking for original and authentic hospitality, intimately close to the local identity. And so we started to look from a different perspective at some old and almost abandoned houses situated in the historic centre of Orosei. The step from imagination to project did not take long time. The sort of tourism that we had in mind could be realised by using the model of the Albergo Diffuso – i.e. by renovating some buildings of value in order to transform them into welcoming, comfortable, functional and original rooms. One day, in one of the houses that we were renovating, we found a painting – incredibly still in good condition, although covered in dust and submerged under old furnishings. Once it had been cleaned, we carefully looked at it: it illustrated a man, with familiar features, a slight smile and a penetrating gaze. Nobody knew who he was. Not even the old people of the town, to whom we showed the picture to solve the mystery. But everyone shyly watched the strange but clear similarity to our grandfather. How could this be possible? And what was it doing in that house, which had never belonged to any member of our family? Since then, we never stopped trying to find an answer to this mysterious finding. Some of us swears that he knows the truth, but he will reveal it only when he will have the certainty. As a sign of respect for the past that came looking for us we decided to dedicate the project of the hotel to our ancestors, those that we call Sos Mannois in our dialect.

The restoration project

Preserve the past to make it attractive and functional for today’s needs. This is the aim of the architectural and restoration project that has led to the creation of Mannois, our 4-stars hotel in Orosei. A project of renovation of historic buildings that respect architectural elements of the village, balance between internal and external spaces and between functionality and aesthetics. The
design of spaces and new end uses respects the historical and architectural characteristics of every single space. The knowledge of the original functions of the renovated buildings provided the inspiration for the arrangement of furniture and furnishings and the choice of the new end uses. We started from the old, which was often lying in ruins, and revitalised stones and old materials in which there was a clear echo and reference to our ancestors, to offer you large and comfortable rooms rich in history and charm.