In the early 90s, Fabrizio Ruspoli di Poggio Suasa, a French Italian aristocrat from Paris and a former salesman in 18th-century French furniture, moved to Marrakech. Growing up visiting his grandmother in Morocco, Ruspoli quickly felt at home among the city’s well-known expats, including then interior designer Bill Willis, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé, and soon bought it. popular French restaurant La Maison Arabe turns it into Medina’s first riad hotel. But in the three decades since his arrival, Marrakech has grown, for better or worse, “with the noise of scooters,” Ruspoli says. So three years ago, he decided to sell the hotel in search of a quieter life in the Atlas Mountains, about an hour’s drive from town. But it is not more Quiet: This fall, Ruspoli and his longtime partner José Abete opened a new property called Olinto in the lush Ouirgane Valley. Set on 10 acres planted with olive groves and fragrant gardens, the hotel boasts stunning views of the red earth mountains, with nine vine-covered guesthouses with rooftop seating, private gardens and, in some cases, pools. A spa will open next year, but for now, guests can relax on the clusters-covered terraces and enjoy massages in the traditional hammam. Saying he was “born to play the piano”, Ruspoli named his new project in honor of his like-minded ancestor, the Marquis Francesco Maria Ruspoli, who was Handel’s patron who adopted the nickname Olinto after a village in ancient Greece. He is a member of the Academy of Arcadia, a music and literature society. “My hope is to host something similar here: a retreat and finally a small music festival surrounded by my gardens,” he says. Starting at $700 per night, olto.net.
