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The interiors of the palazzo are guided by the Italian concept of Arte Povera, a way of living with objects that are simple, worn-in, and meant to be used. in the U.S., where meals are often more private. In Lucignano, she notes, the town remains unusually multigenerational — young adults, families, and older residents still living side by side, a continuity that gives daily life its energy. Most nights, family and friends from the neighborhood show up at dinnertime to see what she has going in the kitchen. Borghi jokes that she rarely does any cooking because it's those same people who usually take over. "It's a whole different concept of life — it's very interconnected," she says. There is always bread on the table, the local unsalted loaf traditional to this part of Tuscany, and, in season, new olive oil, vivid and peppery, pressed locally from trees many families tend themselves. Bottles of small-batch wine made from Sangiovese grapes grown in the surrounding countryside are passed around as the night unfolds. Now and then, the kitchen swells to 50 or 60 people, the gathering spilling back out into the vicolo. More than once, tourists passing through the lane have paused at the open door, mistaking the convivial scene inside for a restaurant. B uilt centuries ago as the residence of a prosperous family, the palazzo has passed through many lives and owners over time. A decorative motif carved into stone over the front door features a caliper, hinting at an association with architecture or masonry. Hocker was told that its last occupant was a purveyor of fine fabrics, an elegant trade that added another layer to the building's history. Seen in that context, what it is today represents only one moment in a long continuum, a house shaped by use and change over centuries, its current form simply the latest chapter. The palazzo had already survived seven centuries; their task, Hocker says, was not to remake it, but to intervene lightly, preserving the worn patina time had given it. As the ornate wallpaper was removed, the house offered up a series of surprises. Beneath it were plaster walls washed in layers of Original cement tile floors in pristine condition. Chris Stewart artworks. Allen Yu pottery vase on custom cedar table by La Falegnameria, Tuscany. Toio floor lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos. Opposite: In the living room, 16th- and 17th-century portraits of a noblewoman, saint, and cardinal. Vetsak sectional.