Casa Malaparte - Capri

The villa stands on Punta Masullo, an isolated headland overlooking the sea and surrounded by lush vegetation. Located in the south-eastern part of the island, it offers a breathtaking view of Capri's famous faraglioni (sea stacks).

The wonderful Villa Malaparte is always in the spotlight.

Built in the 1930s on Capri by the celebrated writer Curzio Malaparte, this villa has always been a coveted location for film shoots, advertising campaigns and fashion shows. Today, the renowned French fashion house Jacquemus has chosen Casa Malaparte as the setting to present its cruise collection, dedicated to holiday wear. Located on the enchanting island of Capri, in the Gulf of Naples, Casa Malaparte is considered one of the most beautiful houses in the world.

Jacquemus's creative director and founder, Simon Porte, chose this villa because it was here that the film "Le Mépris" ("Contempt") by French director Jean-Luc Godard was shot in 1963. This film, with its vision of beauty and modernity, inspired Porte to found Jacquemus fifteen years ago. Casa Malaparte, built between 1938 and 1942, is one of the most celebrated examples of modernist architecture in Italy and is regarded as "one of the strangest houses in the Western world", as the writer Bruce Chatwin states in his collection "Anatomia dell'irrequietezza" ("The Anatomy of Restlessness").

The villa stands on Punta Masullo, an isolated headland overlooking the sea and surrounded by lush vegetation. Located in the south-eastern part of the island, it offers a breathtaking view of Capri's famous faraglioni (sea stacks). To reach it by land, one can take a pleasant hour-and-a-half walk from the centre of the island, or follow a steep path that begins at the sea. Malaparte described this place as "un promontorio di straordinaria purezza di linee, avventato in mare come un artiglio di roccia" ("a headland of extraordinary purity of line, flung into the sea like a claw of rock"), a wild and dramatic place that mirrored his unconventional and complex personality.

The villa, a trapezoidal block 45 metres long and 9.5 metres wide, with walls of an intense Pompeian red, unfolds over several levels beneath the terrace. On the ground floor are the service rooms, such as the kitchen, while the first floor houses a spacious hall with large windows looking out onto the breathtaking landscape. The great living room is furnished with pieces designed by Malaparte himself and features a fireplace. The villa connects to the writer's bedroom, to a room known as "l'ospizio" ("the hospice") or "la favorita" ("the favourite") reserved for friends or the lover of the moment, and to Malaparte's study, which offers a panoramic view over the sea. It was in this very study that Malaparte completed his celebrated novel "Kaputt", along with "La pelle" ("The Skin"), the works that brought him fame around the world.

Malaparte lived in the villa from 1943 to 1947, before moving to Paris. On his death, in 1957 in Rome, he decreed that the villa should be turned into a house of study and welcome for Chinese students, as a mark of gratitude to the Chinese regime he had supported in his later years. However, his heirs obtained ownership of the villa, which today is a private residence and not open to the public.

Over the years, Casa Malaparte has been chosen as a location for major film productions. In 1963, some scenes of "Le Mépris" were shot here, with French actors Michel Piccoli and Brigitte Bardot climbing up and down the staircase time and again, diving into the sea from the villa and sunbathing on the roof. In 1981, the director Liliana Cavani used the villa for some scenes of the film "La pelle" ("The Skin"), based on Malaparte's novel of the same name.

The beauty and uniqueness of Casa Malaparte have also caught the attention of the worlds of fashion and advertising. In 1997, German designer Karl Lagerfeld photographed the villa for a book published by the German publishing house Steidl. The villa has also been chosen as the setting for the advertisement of the fragrance "Uomo" by the Italian brand Ermenegildo Zegna, directed by Jonas Åkerlund in 2014, and for the spring/summer 2019 clothing collection of the French fashion house Saint Laurent, starring Kate Moss. In 2019, it was also the setting for the advertisement of the fragrance "Cœur Battant" by the French company Louis Vuitton, starring American actress Emma Stone.

Casa Malaparte remains a symbol of beauty, originality and modernity, a place that continues to inspire artists of every kind. Its history and unique architecture make it one of the most fascinating and evocative residences in the world, a true treasure hidden away on the island of Capri.