Massimo Adario Architetto | ELLE Decoration Country | SS'22

CONTEMPORARY STYLE FOR RURAL LIVING

ZEST FOR LIFE

Aromatic lemon groves, calm seas and bright blue skies inspired the vibrant and summery interior of this holiday home on the Italian coast

Words MARZIA NICOLINI Photography LAURA FANTACUZZI AND MAXIME GALATI FOURCADE/LIVING INSIDE

When architect Massimo Adario inhales the revitalising scent of citrus that floats on the warm breeze outside his holiday home in Massa Lubrense, on Italy’s picturesque Sorrento Peninsula, he is reminded of his childhood. ‘My great-grandparents bought this land and the nearby villa in the early 1900s. This apartment was originally the house of the farmer who cultivated the surrounding lemon groves,’ he explains.

Once lovingly cared for, the building had been abandoned for many years and was far from the idyllic setting of his memories when Massimo decided to embark on a renovation. ‘It had crumbling walls and vaults, the lemon grove was almost completely burned by the sun and the pergola had collapsed,’ he recalls.

Wanting to protect its heritage, Massimo chose to retain the original layout of this historic property. There were challenges, though. The irregularity of the stone walls (almost one-metre thick in some places) made it difficult for Massimo to indulge his love for architectural details and bold block colour.

His solution: an ingenious two-metre-high band of panels, detached from the floor and ceiling, that wraps the walls, providing a clean, modern canvas.

For the colour palette, he simply looked out of the window: there’s the green of the trees; the yellow of the lemons and the sun; the deep cobalt of the sea, and the light azure of the sky. From the kitchen to the

bedroom, a recurring theme is the use of tiles, which were custom-made for this apartment by artisans in the town of Vietri sul Mare. ‘Look closely and you will see that the design reproduces the panorama of the Gulf of Naples,’ says Massimo.

When it came to furnishing his holiday home, nostalgia played a strong part in the decision-making process. ‘I chose original bamboo pieces from the 1960s,’ says Massimo. ‘It is the kind of furniture that reminds me of summers at the seaside as a child.’ His favourite piece? It has to be the bed, plucked from the vast archives of Italian brand Bonacina and reproduced specially for this project.

Lying in said bed with the shutters open, the view is glorious. In fact, every room in this property is treated to an exceptional vista across the newly repaired pergola to the Gulf of Naples beyond and, in the distance, the island of Ischia. To make the most of this incredible setting, Massimo has added outdoor tables, topped with local tiles, and long masonry benches inspired by those created by Danish architect Jørn Utzon (who designed the Sydney Opera House) for his holiday home, Can Lis, in Mallorca. It’s in this private outside oasis that Massimo can usually be found, slowing down, reconnecting with nature, and watching the subtle changes that occur from sunrise to sunset. massimoadario.com