La Forestale is a unique place and is the result of the owner's personality and passion. After travelling the world, Don Merlino decided to stop and realize his 'Luxury Eco-Lodge' project. In an exceptional and enchanting place such as the Furlo Gorge Nature Reserve, he was able to give life to a completely eco-sustainable accommodation property that merged his greatest passions: design and nature.


In 2016, he took over the old Forest Guard Barracks, which had been disused for over 35 years. The first challenge was to decide how to intervene on a mid-century reinforced concrete property. The answer came from his experience in design and German Bauhaus functionalism. What was immediately clear to Don Merlino, however, was the possibility of offering future guests one of the most beautiful views in the region. The charm of the surrounding unspoilt nature has, influenced the entire project.

Since the building is located on the slope overlooking the Candigliano river, large windows on wide terraces were enough to offer a 180° view from the canyon of the Gola del Furlo, through the opposite mountain, to the rolling hills towards the sea. Promoting a true fusion of interior and exterior, the result was a total immersion in the green.



In the idea of La Forestale there is not a hotel, but rather an experience to be offered to the guests. Staying at La Forestale means being at Don Merlino's house. There are no televisions. Nature, outdoor activities and a good glass of wine are enough to make your stay at the property unique. Behind the philosophy of La Forestale is the desire to convey that another lifestyle is possible, that regaining the serenity of simple pleasures can truly transmit a change of gear to society as a whole.

La Forestale is fully insulated and meets its energy needs with solar panels and a state-of-the-art heat pump; class A appliances and habits that follow the rhythm of the sun do the rest. The renovation took two years of constant work and the step following the opening was to find a technology partner that matched the philosophy of the Ecolodge project. Don Merlino told us that he had done a thorough search for this and had selected two Property Management Systems, one foreign and WuBook.
Imagine his surprise to discover that his choice had casually fallen on a local partner!

But how can management software satisfy a property in terms of sustainability? Among the thematic best practices for the sector, there is green coding, which consists of optimizing all intra-company operational processes down to the development algorithms, drastically reducing server effort and thus saving energy. The use of carbon-free servers and the choice to keep their offices in the city centre allowing employees to walk or cycle to work have made WuBook the ideal partner for La Forestale. Finally, Don Merlino called us a human team! Finally, no automated answering machines or long waiting times for assistance. There are lively, friendly and knowledgeable people on the other end of the phone. Thank you Don Merlino for choosing WuBook, it is good to know that you are contributing to a project like La Forestale!