An Italian Villa

Perched on a cliff top overlooking the Gulf of Naples, a few hundred meters up the coast from Sorrento, Villa Nicolini had fallen into complete disrepair when the current owner purchased the house at auction. Originally built for sculptor Giovanni Nicolini, the house was then owned by American novelist and horror fiction author Francis Marion Crawford, and was last used as a convent.  After that, the house was abandoned for 20 years and needed complete restoration. Juan Pablo Molyneux returned the villa to its earlier prominence. With his team of craftsmen and artisans he has worked with for decades, he added ornament, intricacy, and sophisticated nautical detail to Villa Nicolini, giving it a renewed glamour and charm suitable to an elegant seaside villa. Custom-made details abound, from the seashell-shaped door handles and coral shaped curtain tiebacks, to a shell-covered bust of Neptune. The vestibule, which was a small, woefully understated space, was transformed with wit and artistry into a paneled caprice featuring pillared bookshelves, hand-carved sea creatures, and a domed ceiling whose finish resembles delicately carved fish scales. Frescoes decorate the living room and other areas in the house, as do the terrazzo floors. Stone stairs lead down to the base of the cliff, where a 2nd Century B.C. Roman pool that is connected to the ocean, can be found under the rocky foundations of the house. One of the outstanding features of the house is the views.