The Villa

A panoramic infinity-edge pool, 12 by 5 metres and 2.2 deep, with a whirlpool area, heated on request, a sun deck, changing room and outdoor showers — the villa’s most photographed view, its edge dissolving toward Praiano and the Faraglioni of Capri. Beside it a lawn opens beneath an arch of bougainvillea, with the clearest view of the villa’s tall double defensive walls, still standing intact.

Scenic views from the house: from the Conca dei Marini to the Faraglioni of Capri, the villa holds a position unique along this coast — a true lookout over the whole Costiera.

Directly in front of the fortified entrance, olive trees grow alongside the villa’s own organic vegetable garden — tomatoes, pumpkins, zucchini and a rose bed — a living reminder that this was, and remains, a working estate. Wrought iron railings set with antique terracotta oil jars enclose it, and the space lends itself equally to long imperial tables for a ceremony and to a quiet picnic beneath the lemon grove.

Directly in front of the main body of the house, its parapet still marked by the old loopholes cut to a man’s height. By day, soft sofas rest in the shade of the lemon trees; by evening a raised table is set for dinner facing the sea, with a barbecue finished in antique Neapolitan tiles close at hand. An old well now serves as a planter, and the terrace gives the finest view of the pine, the house’s own symbol.

Tucked beneath a wisteria pergola, cool even in the height of summer, this corner holds a small bar for evening cocktails, an open-air shower facing the sea, and a sofa made for lingering long after the sun goes down. A changing room and minibar complete it, ready for a drink carried straight down to the pool; come spring, the wisteria overhead blooms a soft pink.

Standing guard over the villa, the centuries-old maritime pine casts a deep, cool shade over this terrace, framed by an arch of climbing roses and warmed by its own wood-fired oven — the coolest corner of the house, and a place to listen to the cicadas in its branches. Floored in whitened wood and open to the sea in every direction, it gives onto a garden of roses, mint and rosemary, with a path stepping down among historic olive trees toward the pool.

The rooms where the day naturally comes together, richly decorated in a romantic register that softens the austerity of the fortified exterior — and all of them opening directly onto the Terrace of Lemons. The dining room seats twelve at an extendable walnut table beneath a barrel vault; the sitting room gathers Venetian sofas around the original stone fireplace, still lit today.

A second professional sea-view kitchen designed for private events or private chefs, complete with an outdoor wood-fired oven, six burners, a Carrara marble counter, large refrigerators, and an industrial dishwasher. It opens onto the Pine Garden with its fresh herbs. Next to it is a versatile pool-view space featuring a home theater and stereo system, ideal for ceremonies, parties, or meetings. This room connects directly with the pool and, for larger occasions, extends into the Pool House, which converts into an entrance hall and sitting room with two sofas, two bathrooms, and independent access to the lawn beneath its bougainvillea arch.