BEATRICE BORROMEO’S MOTHER WELCOMES US TO LADY OF THE NIGHT, HER PAR ADISE IN PUNTA DEL ESTE

Marta was already spending the northern-hemisphere winters with her daughter in Punta del Este in Uruguay when Paola built Lady of the Night for her in 2010. Pictured, the fabulous pool, and left, the countryside surrounding the sprawling property. “I don’t like to buy branded clothes any more, I prefer ethnic and artisan garments,” says the photographer, who is seen (right) wearing a vintage Valentino outfit

The colonial-style mansion was the home of Paola’s mother, the legendary Countess Marta Marzotto

Paola Marzotto is a fascinating woman, one who combines elegance and class with an unexpectedly forceful, warm personality. The younger generation know her as the mother of Beatrice Borromeo, wife of Princess Caroline of Monaco’s son Pierre Casiraghi.

But long before her daughter’s marriage linked her to the Grimaldis, Paola was already a leading light in society. Her aristocratic family founded one of Italy’s largest fashion companies, which once owned Valentino and Hugo Boss. Her mother was style icon Countess Marta Marzotto, who, since her passing in 2016, is much missed in cultural and artistic circles around the world.

‘My children and grandchildren used to visit more often, but now it’s more complicated to travel… We’ll wait and see!’

One of the living rooms, where two large fireplaces face each other. “This is a perfect house for entertaining, and we’ve had many dances and parties here over the years,” says Paola, pictured opposite in another light-filled corner, wearing an ethnic print kaftan

‘The decor is relatively minimalist and, as they say in South America, canchera [cool]. In decor, as in dressing elegantly, balance is key’

Like many Europeans, Marta and Paola both fell in love with Punta del Este, “Uruguay’s St Tropez”, and spent the northernhemisphere winters there. And in 2010, Paola decided to build a home for her mother in the coastal resort. The result was a graceful, colonial-style mansion poetically named Lady of the Night.