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| Casa San Matteo - The Villa | |||
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With its vaulted ceilings, arches and niches, the villa
Casa San Matteo is an impressive example of the classical Mediterranean
architecture with a distinctively Moorish feel. It is located half way
between the upper Positano and the beach and is surrounded by gardens,
an unique feature for the centre of Positano, where houses are usually
built one attached to the other.
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PHOTOGALLER |
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The rooms are spacious, with high vaulted ceilings. The dome shaped roof is painted in white to protect the villa from the summer heat. The villa has been recently restored and refurbished, respecting the austerity of a great and impressive 17th Century Mediterranean Country House. The main challenge in the refurbishment has been installing the comforts nowadays expected in an upscale villa without modifying the original architectural layout of the building. Particular care has been given to the bath rooms, decorated with elegant rigour and equipped with well functioning high quality facilities. The furniture is tasteful without being excessive. The walls are decorated with original paintings of the family collection. Ergonomic aspects have played a central role in the selection of the bedroom furniture. To assure the privacy of our guests, all three apartments have separate entrances and an own private terrace, opening the view to the most extraordinary panorama of the Amalfi Coast. Like many houses in Positano, Casa San Matteo can only be reached by stairs, which keeps the traffic noise and unpleasant odors well away from your holiday residence. There are approximately 100 steps to walk down from the closest bus stop or car park. A regular bus service is serving every 20 minutes the bus stop near the top of the access footpath Via Monte. Nevertheless, it is possible to reach most places in Positano, including the beach, in a ten to fifteen minutes walk. The historyIn the 1920s the villa was one of the first little hotels in Positano, with the name Pensione San Matteo. It was bought from a Positanese family in the year 1921 by a Finnish noblewoman, Ilse Von Knorring, and later managed as a guest house by a German artist, Dorothea Flatow-Rispoli. During this period and until the 1970s is was visited by the cosmopolitan artist community that first discovered Positano. In 1964 is was sold to the actual owner. Two dramatic events, the landslide in 1969 and the earthquake in 1979, damaged seriously the villa, so that an extensive refurbishing was required, which ended in 1999.
Ivan Zagorujko (1896 - 1964) - Casa San Matteo interior, oil on canavas, end 1920s
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(Click to enlarge)
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