dinsdag

CAPRI / CASA MALAPARTE


Villa Malaparte, Capri
On the side of the rock the stairs leading to the boat launch and swimming pier

Mid nineties, I visited Capri. Most impressive was the walk up to Casa Malaparte, journalist / writer and surprisingly architect of this house on an isolated rocky peninsula on the east coast of the island. Only accessible by foot, it takes about half an hour through pine trees and across rocky slopes. You arrive at the top of a mount from which your first glance is down on the roof and monumental stairs that lead up to it.
In short, Malaparte was exiled by Mussolini because of criticizing the Italian political situation in the pre war years. He was 'locked up' on the island of Lipari. Obviously he took inspiration from the church of annunziata, featuring a resembling set of stairs. [see picture below] First he had the house designed by Adalberto Libera, but finished it with the help of a local stone mason. Probably thus introducing some irrational elements, including the typical roof design.

villa malaparte
Arriving at far above the house

mepris18
The much photographed house also appeared in Godard’s 1963 film Le Mépris (Contempt).















 A scene from Le Mépris






The church of annunziata on Lipari
taken from the right angle the house gets this towering perspective