When architect Massimo Adario breathes in the revitalising scent of citrus that floats on the warm breeze gracing his holiday home on the coast of Italy's picturesque Massa Lubrense territory, 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 says.
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 burnt by the sun, and the wooden pergola had collapsed,' he recalls.
Wanting to protect the property's heritage, Massimo chose to retain the original layout of this ancient home. 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, detached from both the floor and ceiling, that wraps the walls and provides a clean, modern canvas for his decorative flourishes.
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, custom-made by artisans in the town of Vietri sul Mare especially for this project. 'Look closely and you'll see 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 1889 and reproduced especially for this home.
The view from the bed, with the shutters open, 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 panorama, Massimo has added outdoor tables, topped with local tiles, and long masonry benches inspired by those designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon for his own holiday home, Casa Can Lis in Mallorca. It's here that Massimo can usually be found, slowing down, reconnecting with nature, and watching the subtle changes that occur from sunrise to sunset. massimoadario.com