Small, but unique, the vacation home of architect Massimo Adario opens up to the view of the Gulfs of Naples and Ischia. Elaborated in a graphic key, the panorama inspires an original architectural and decorative project.
At sunset the panorama with the island of Ischia and the lemon grove that slopes towards the skyline of Massa Lubrense, overlooking the sea, are a real spectacle. Next page, under the ancient vaults, the kitchen, covered in Vietri ceramics, produced by Francesco De Maio from a design by Massimo Adario.
For the study, bamboo furniture by Bonacina 1889, original from the 1950s, like the Bambù armchair designed by Tito Agnoli in 1959. Coffee table with zodiacal drawings on golden background, 1950s. All selected by Demosmobilia, Chiasso. Lamps by Joe Colombo for Oluce. On the corner table, an important ceramic piece by Flair, Milan. On the wall, prints by Piero Dorazio.
In the passageway between the kitchen-dining room and the study, a 1950s table (from Retro4M, Rome) with armchairs by Lio Carminati (from Demosmobilia). Parentesi lamp by Achille Castiglioni for Flos. The sky-colored fascia-boiserie, detached from the ground and two meters high, erases the irregularities of the old walls. Prints by Alberto Burri. Opposite page, the large terrace is a continuation of the interiors.
Since he was a child, architect Massimo Adario has spent all his summer vacations in Sorrento. Three months at sea in the oldest part of the house that belonged to his great-grandparents, fortunately inherited by his father, in eighteenth-century style with large tuff walls and brick vaults. A simple structure softened by the typical features of Neapolitan country architecture. Massimo has always maintained a strong bond with this magical place, to which he still feels he belongs, so much so that he decided to carve out a private space, completed last June, which allows him to rediscover his roots, enjoy family affection and the natural beauty of the place. The house, of about 100 square meters, opens onto a new panoramic terrace that connects the living area with the sleeping suite, tangent to the villa but detached, obtained in a building in the 50s, once at the service of the cultivation of olive groves, citrus groves, countryside and vegetable gardens. “I have always imagined the interiors and exteriors as integral parts, united by the same view that, grazing the lemon grove in a slightly lower altitude, embraces the Bays of Naples and Ischia.” On the large terrace that runs parallel to the facade, embellished with a floor inlaid with Carrara marble, a reference to the interior flooring, run two long benches against the wall, inspired by those designed by Jørn Utzon in the Can Lis house in Majorca. Four outdoor tables, with a brass structure and a top in Vietri majolica, designed by the architect, make it possible to experience this space as a natural extension of the indoor one, but more dynamic, free, with the romantic touch of the white painted iron armchairs. “In the old rooms, the irregularities of the load-bearing masonry inspired me to come up with the idea of a fascia-boiserie, detached from the ground and two meters high, which in the kitchen part, where the thickness exceeds one meter, takes on the function of a container,” Adario explains. “Vietri ceramics, which in these areas are found in the domes and floors of many churches, as well as in the salons of historic hotels and aristocratic villas, have always fascinated me for the colors and fantasy of the designs. I have indelible memories of the ceramic clock in the church of Sant’Agata, right next to Don Alfonso’s restaurant, owned by my father’s cousins, the world ambassador of culture and art de vivre on the Amalfi Coast. When I decided to collaborate with masters of handmade terracotta, I thought I would do it by following my own aesthetic code. So I sketched an abstract, contemporary design, which allowed me to be inspired, once again, by the landscape and its colors: the green of the trees, the yellow of the lemons, the blue of the sea, the blue of the sky, the white of the clouds. Hence 8 motifs that in different combinations reproduce a contemporary fresco inside, my horizon”. Engaged on several projects, from a villa in Florence, with its history and relationship with the city to be restored, a totally different residence in Los Angeles, two new architectures in Portugal and near Rome, Massimo continues his search for original, stimulating, never repetitive ideas. Also in this project the mix of materials is surprising: the elegance of Carrara marble that meets the graphisms of majolica and brass that acts as a structure for the rush furniture. Even the choice of graphic works by Piero Dorazio, often set on the diagonal, with colors similar to those of the project, are the careful touch of someone who loves and knows art.
The planters on the design, typical elements of the vacation home, tell of a project with attention to detail. On the facing page, Massimo Adario. For the tables with brass structure and the benches that run along the facade, Vietri ceramic surfaces designed in the colors of the landscape. Outdoor seating by Demosmobilia, Chiasso.
In the bathroom, original sanitary ware designed by Antonia Campi for Pozzi Ginori at the end of the 1950s and vintage rush accessories. Facing page, in the bedroom, bed by Bonacina 1889, designed by Gastone Valsecchi and Gianni Minghetti. The decorative panel forms the headboard of the bed and the two movable side doors close off the bathroom and the wardrobe. On the headboard, Portofino ceramic lamps by Servomuto. On the ceiling Air fan by Boffi.
