Casa Dante

Between Cinque Terre and Portofino, the Country Home of a Design Master

Dante is an award-winning architect and director of the master in design of the Domus Academy in Milan. Enchantingly, he has also restored a villa at the edge of an ancient Ligurian village.

The home's approach is gorgeous, with woods and gardens with grapevines that surround a two-story stone building with jade green shutters.

Naturally, as Dante himself designed furniture and objects for Luceplan, Edra and Rotaliana, the home pops with bright furnishings and objects. And his architectural experience comes into play, having opened the ceiling and creating a light-filled space, while upgrading to a sleek kitchen that contrasts beautifully with stone walls and arched doorways.

The ground floor contains the open kitchen, living and dining rooms, which flow out to a terrace and a garden, as well as a service bathroom. The laundry room is under the terrace. On the first floor, you'll find two bedrooms, a bathroom and a terrace, with two more bedrooms on the third floor, plus a studio.

This uncompromising villa in Italy comprises four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, with views that graze the treetops and over into the valley, and glimpses of the Ligurian villages with their church towers. Come swim in the bright blue pool and lounge on the sun deck after days exploring Cinque Terre and the Portofino Gulf.

It's a true haven of serenity and comfort, rendered with a capable and tasteful hand.

THE ITALIAN RIVIERA

The Ligurian village of Castiglione Chiavarese is 5 kilometers away, where you’ll find a typical Ligurian village with all the basics: the locals bar, a couple of grocery shops, a renowned butcher and a pharmacy. An ideal base for exploring the Italian Riviera, Castiglione Chiavarese is within an hour of the magnificent UNESCO site of Cinque Terre, the amazing Portofino and the medieval walled city of Lucca.

The lovely seaside towns of Moneglia, on the way to the Cinque Terre and Sestri Levante, sits along the jagged coastline between Genoa and La Spezia and the picturesque Baia di Silenzio and Baia delle Favole, are just a few miles drive. Genoa is under an hour by car or under two by train.

LOCATION

Castiglione Chiavarese, Liguria, Italy. Closest airport: Genova (80 km), the closest train station is in Sestri Levante and there is a regular bus service from and to Velva from the Sestri Levante train station.

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring through Fall for the best weather to enjoy the countryside and coastal areas