Starting Monday, September 8th, Giorgio Armani rests beside his parents and brother in the cemetery of the small hamlet of Rivalta, nestled on the first slopes of the Val Trebbia in the Piacenza region. The designer had a profound connection to Rivalta Castle, a sumptuous stately residence surrounded by a magnificent park owned by Count Orazio Zanardi Landi, president of the Association of Castles of the Duchy.
“Giorgio Armani had a special affection for our village of Rivalta,” commented the Count, “where he loved to carve out moments of respite.” Each time they met, Armani would ask, “Will you sell me the castle?” The Count’s consistent reply was that he would only sell it out of necessity. This was their game, their ritual, a way of showing affection without uttering weighty words. Armani had his quirks, however; he disliked being photographed next to Count Zanardi Landi due to what he called his ‘height complex’. Furthermore, when he organized his nephew’s wedding, he had barriers erected throughout the village, which the Count promptly had removed.
Within the village is the Locanda del Falco, a restaurant frequented by the designer and close to his heart—an oasis of familiarity for lunches and dinners where his Piacenza roots returned to speak the dialect of authenticity.
“Today I say goodbye to Mr. Armani, the discreet and kind man who, one day many, many years ago, gave my mother, Rina, a small lampshade to soften the light in the little room where he loved to be welcomed here in Rivalta,” recounts Sabrina, the owner of the Locanda. “Since then, perhaps it was 1978, many of our choices have also considered his opinion, and over time, admiration for the extraordinary creator of beauty became loaded with affection and discreet care.” “Beyond the artist and creative genius, the memory remains of a man of extraordinary sensitivity, who knew how to safeguard and recognize the value of his roots,” said Simone Fornasari, president of the tourist area Visit Emilia. “His bond with Rivalta testifies to that authentic and human dimension that no catwalk will ever be able to replace.” “Now Armani,” continued the president, “ideally returns to those stones of the Trebbia that inspired his unmistakable ‘greige’, a color that marked the history of fashion and made his name eternal.”
Today, the designer rests in the small cemetery of the medieval village, surrounded by the same ancient stones that on every visit made him dream of becoming, if only for a day, the owner of Rivalta Castle.