Perched on a cliff, 32 meters above the sea, in Capri´s coast. Isolated, just reached by boat or by foot. The house is a perfect example of the relation nature architecture, where the construction emerges from the rock. A tectonic piece of architecture built on the late 30s and designed by Adalberto Libera.
It is a red masonry structure, a "red box", with a simple and forceful shape that contrasts with the blue of the sea and the green of the pine trees. The most distinctive element is the large trapezoidal exterior staircase, which is not a main functional access but a symbolic ascent leading to a wide rooftop terrace/solarium, facing the horizon. On the rooftop, a curved, freestanding white wall of increasing height acts as a sculptural and symbolic element, framing the landscape and the sky.
A poetic and austere interior, built with local materials, that relates to the exterior through openings in the wall that are more than windows, framing the landscape. Each window frames the surrounding nature.
The house design is deeply related to the owner´s personality, reflects the Curzio Malaparte´s own view of the world. He was a writer and filmmaker. The house was built by its owner Curzio Malaparte in collaboration with a master builder in an improvisational manner that incorporated methods of cinematic framing, material collage, and assemblage. Its design is a powerful statement about the relationship between architecture, nature, and personal expression, transcending the strict rules of the time.
And the house itself has much to do with the cinema language, being used as filming location in several occasions, starting with Godard´s Le Mepris. Also was the stage of a famous Louis Vuitton campaign. And YSL, Zegna...
