Lipari, Messina, Sicily, Italy

This splendid dwelling, set for over four hundred years among the rocks of Piscità, is located in Via Regina Elena, lying on a clifftop overlooking "Scalo dei Balordi", a cove that opens between two high basalt walls and that represents one of the most beautiful beaches of Stromboli, famous for its appearance in some scenes of the famous film "Stromboli" by Roberto Rossellini, starring Ingrid Bergman. The house is one of the very few that enjoys direct access to the sea through a staircase that leads from the covered patio of one of the terraces down to the beach, while on the mountain side stands 'Iddu', the Stromboli. The architectural style is typical of Aeolian rurality, composed of cubic, linear forms and sharp colours that blend harmoniously with the landscape, such as the white of the external plaster and the cobalt blue of the doors, windows and tiles. The structure of the house has remained the same as it was originally, as can be seen by comparing the current elevation with the engravings made by Archduke Louis Salvator of Austria. In 1876 he depicted the house and the beach below in his 'Die Liparischen Inseln', although over the years it has been skilfully maintained, renovated and adapted to contemporary requirements. The property is arranged on two levels: the entrance opens onto the property's garden, a unique natural environment composed of cacti, prickly pears, bougainvilleas, olive trees, fig trees, wild flowers and a beautiful reed grove bordered by an archaeological wall of huge stones, which contrasts with the moonscape of the beach in front. Beyond the lush garden there is the first of 'Casa Claudia's' panoramic terraces, facing Strombolicchio, which offers the possibility to fully enjoy the island's charms away from the prying eyes of bathers. From the panoramic terrace, a hallway leads to a covered patio, the so-called 'bagghiu', in perfect Aeolian style, from which there is access to the large living area and the kitchen, with the old oven and rural loft. On the ground floor we also find two of the bedrooms, one of which has an en suite bathroom with Jacuzzi; on the upper floor, accessed by an open staircase, we find two more bedrooms and a second bathroom. To complete the property there are two further rooms, which can be used for a variety of purposes, and a third bathroom. Many of the rooms have high-quality Sicilian majolica tiles from the 1960s.
The layout of the rooms, the square footage, the multiple entrances, the distribution of space and the two cisterns ensure that the villa can easily be used for accommodation purposes or as a holiday home for a large group. The villa is in excellent condition and is ready to be lived in immediately.