Alba Primiceri Clemente’s house in Amalfi.
Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
Go Inside the Most Extraordinary Houses Along the Amalfi Coast
Expert photographer Matthieu Salvaing turns his discerning eye to a postcard-perfect slice of the Italian coast for a new Rizzoli book
Few photographers capture interiors as soulfully as Matthieu Salvaing, who turns his discerning eye to a slice of the Italian coast for the new book Amalfi Houses (Rizzoli). Penned by Ana Cardinale, the tome showcases nine of the region’s most spectacular residences, many of which overlook the Mediterranean Sea. A standout is Ravello’s Villa Templa Mare, the famed retreat where artist M. C. Escher drew inspiration for his confounding optical illusions.
Cardinale said she dreamed about writing this book, and that each of the properties featured “reveals a history of the Amalfi Coast.” While some of the homes no longer exist today, they remain alive in the collective memory, and those that have stood the test of time are “treasures safe-guarded with care.”
See below for a peek inside the lavish new book.
Villa Astor in Sorrento. Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
Villa Cimbrone in Ravello was purchased and renovated in 1904 by Ernest William Beckett. Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
Villa Astor in Sorrento. Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
Ravello’s Villa Templa Mare, the famed retreat where artist M. C. Escher drew inspiration for his confounding optical illusions. Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
Ravello’s Villa Templa Mare. Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
Villa Gaetani in Positano. Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
Villa Cimbrone in Ravello. Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
Villa Porta Donica in Ravello. Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Summer Issue under the headline “Interior Angles.” Subscribe to the magazine.
Cover: Alba Primiceri Clemente’s house in Amalfi.
Photo: © Amalfi Houses: Architectural Gems on the Italian Coast by Ana Cardinale; Photography © Matthieu Salvaing, Rizzoli, 2024
More from Galerie
