An Unexpected Artistic Enclave

An eclectic island villa with an artistic soul, Frangimare is more than mere village home isolated on Salina, a volcanic island jutting from the Tyrrenhian Sea. The home doubles as an exclusive gallery housing a curated collection of contemporary works from Milan’s Fabbrica Eos. Currently, 19 works by nine contemporary artists have been transported from Italy’s design and fashion capital to the languid Aeolian island, where the paintings, photos and sculptures enliven the smooth white walls of the seaside villa.

Giovanni Sesia, Trittico, 2022

A high-spirited, big-view home teeming with Sicilian antiques, cheery textiles, and hand-painted ceramics and tiling, Frangimare is an unexpected riot of color. The curated selection, a veritable explosion of creativity, was chosen to arouse positive emotions in the villa’s guests, stimulating their curiosity and helping them to create memorable, immersive experiences.

Alessandro Spadari, Luci e stelle 2010-2021

The Frangimare Atelier, as the collection is known, was created in collaboration with Milanese gallery Fabbrica Eos and its founder Giancarlo Pedrazzini, who, along with the property’s owners, handpicked the oeuvres for an unconventional showcase for artists in a collaborative setting. Dedicated to promoting youthful artists, welcoming experimentation and breaking the boundaries of a particular style or medium, the partnership integrates art, architecture, design, and tourism and promotes the work of Italian artists, all of whom launched their careers in partnership with Fabbrica Eos.

Frangimare’s collection was selected with particular attention paid to the context of the villa’s location, miles off the Sicilian coast, in the remote Lipari Archipelago, a region better known for its capers, sweet wine, and barefoot living than world-class artwork. Many of the selected pieces focus on the theme of nature and the many different interpretations of landscape in art.

Manuel Felisi, Alberi Vertigine, 2016

The pieces add color and punch to Frangimare’s already artistic soul. Artworks take up wall space above beds, sofas and dining tables and occupy intimate hallways and alcoves and even the villa’s sea view pool terrace. The works are meant to dialogue harmoniously with their selected locations, neither overpowering them nor being absorbed within them, creating a subtle interaction between architecture, interior design and fine art.

Artists shown include Manuel Felisi, whose works (pictured above) center on the overarching theme of time. Several works in Felisi’s “Vertigo Trees” mixed media series hang in the home, combining photography, resin and concrete on panel, featuring a playful, geometric approach to trees.

Giacomo Cossio, Atto Unico, 2021

Palms in the Wind, Tommaso Varrera, 2020

More foliage is on display via Giacomo Cossio’s vibrant prints of foliage on plexiglass. Cossio’s work, exhibited for nearly 20 years, adds a distinctive tropical feel to the villa. And the home’s permanent collection includes the whimsical Snails sculpture by Cracking Art, a poolside installation of three, slow-moving gastropods in vibrant color, and "Palms in the Wind", a 2020 work by Naples-born painter Tommaso Varrera, combining realism and an intimate look at everyday life, interrupted.

Chiocciole, Cracking Art

While plans are underway for a public exhibition of the villa’s existing collection, there are also preparations for a sister villa to Frangimare, a second home in which to house new works. For now, Frangimare’s collection is a multicolored mix of loaned and acquired pieces, with its homeowners acquiring one artwork a year in order to build a permanent collection.

Book a stay at this unconventional gallery home here.