Holiday in Campania: art, architecture and breathtaking views

Contemporary culture in the heart of Naples

A sixteenth-century building in the historic center of Naples, Palazzo Caracciolo di Avellino, houses the Fondazione Morra Greco, developed starting from the Morra Greco Collection to support contemporary culture.

The fundamental mission of the Foundation is the link with the Campania region, with which it establishes a continuous dialogue through various activities, such as residency programs for local artists, exhibitions of works or even the organization of educational workshops for various types of public.

Until the end of July, the spaces of the foundation host two exhibitions: the first dedicated to the artistic work, thought and political activism of the American artist Jimmie Durham; the second, Goal!, is a collective of ten artists who, through different languages and paths, have been invited, on the occasion of the victory of the Napoli team in the Serie A championship, to give their own interpretation of the action of the goal.

A house-studio amidst stuccos and frescoes

On the second floor of Palazzo Ruffo di Castelcicala, a princely eighteenth-century building in the heart of Naples, the architect Antonio Martiniello has established his home-studio: Keller Architettura.

The apartment, which preserves and restores the ancient noble residence, is a fascinating blend of ancient and modern.

The young Neapolitan architect managed to respectfully insert the taste for design and contemporary art into the original structure, a triumph of colored stuccos, Baroque frescoes, exotic decorations and ancient majolica. But that's not all, he added his idea of social living to the spaces: the apartment, therefore, is not only a place for living and working, but also for socializing.

Authentic Neapolitan experience

Casa D'Anna at Cristallini, in the old historic center of Sanità-Vergini, the liveliest neighborhood in Naples, allows you to discover the ancient capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies which, in this part of the city, preserves archaeological sites dating back to the Greek and Roman periods.

Thanks to the management of Alessandra Calise Martuscelli, who offers personalized and sophisticated hospitality, staying at the B&B Casa D'Anna ai Cristallini is like living in a private home, in harmony with the charm of its carefully decorated interiors and embellished by the surprising collection of antiques.

The large apartment from the early 1400s, finely restored, is located on the second floor of Palazzo Giannattasio, a few steps from the Archaeological Museum.

Discovering jewels and precious stones

With Naples in our eyes and heart, the suggested route takes us a few kilometers inland, to Cava de' Tirreni (SA), where Mineral, a jewelry shop and atelier opens up in a reserved building in the historic centre, but before that, an experience.

Mario Pisapia, accredited gemologist and diamond expert, in fact, has made concrete in this place the idea of allowing visitors to approach the world of jewelery through knowledge of the raw material, the manufacturing processes and the infinite possibilities given by the mastery of those who design them.

Mineral, designed by the architect Daniele Della Porta, is a journey of discovery: the entrance is on the first floor and the atelier develops downwards, crossing the rooms where the master goldsmiths work, the offices and finally the vault built in an old cistern.

A palace and a story from Sorrento

Once in Sorrento (NA) and looking out over the port, one cannot fail to notice a building dominated by a circular tower. It is the headquarters of the B&B Marina Piccola 73, managed by Roberta Fiorentino and her daughter Alice, and obtained from the careful renovation of the family palace, built between 1860 and 1865.

Over the years, the building was the seat of the nautical club Canottieri Italia of Naples and of the offices of the Port Authority of Sorrento, today it remains a gem of 19th century architecture, meticulously renovated, with elegant interiors in which contemporary design mixes in a refined and original way with vintage details and antique treasures.

Many of the original features have been maintained, such as the terracotta floors from 1865, some majolica, an eighteenth-century Venetian wardrobe and the cocciopesto of the access road.

Colours in balance, overlooking the sea

It is still Sorrento that welcomes us and amazes us for a second, fascinating, opportunity to stay.

Outside, the show of blatant beauty is that of the Gulf, inside there are interiors characterized by a kaleidoscope of balanced colours, combined with taste and audacity by the architect Marco de Luca who also decided to build his home here. Maison La Minervetta was built in the 1950s by the architect's grandparents, Giovanni Cacace, a Sorrento hotelier, and Wanda Schwartz, his Danish wife in love with Sorrento.

After 20 years of management, the structure passed into other hands to return to the family in 2006.

Perched on the ridge overhanging the sea, design objects, Memphis vases, books, magazines, works of art, travel souvenirs, photographs and furnishings enliven the common areas and rooms with ease, all with breathtaking views.

From the tradition of the Italian bar

In the 50s and 60s, the bar became the emblem of rebirth, the economic boom and the desire to dream.

The Italian bar, therefore, establishes itself as a place where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee appears on the bill. In Pagani, in the province of Salerno, the local Cinquanta Spirito Italiano wants to honor this tradition, and thanks to the intervention of the architect Daniele Della Porta, it re-proposes the 1950s bar in a contemporary key.

The drink list is centered on the great classics of mixing, but at the same time does not give up on experimentation and contamination.

The heart of the scene is the counter, a large island with a high central bottle rack that stands out in adherence to the curved front of the room and the color palette, devoted to elegance, is linked to blacks, grays and blues, but does not fear the incursion of the lively and sunny spirit of the "Bel Paese" letting the orange explode in the furnishings and in the central top.