Laqua Countryside

VenueVico Equense, Italy

ClientCa.Pri

Year2021

Architecture
Interior

Concept

The places of our childhood never really change: they are suspended in time, to remind us of who we are and where we come from.

Bringing with him all the knowledge and skills that made him a star-studded excellence of Italian cuisine, Antonino Cannavacciuolo “returns home” in Ticciano di Vico Equense, to pay homage to the land where he was raised, in a loving act of gratitude for his homeland. The LAQUA Countryside project is a quiet and warm 6-suite resort with restaurant, nestled on the hills of the Sorrento peninsula – inside the former manor house where Antonino himself spent part of his childhood.

Architecture
Interior

Development

The design approach was based on the rediscovery of memory and tradition, expressed also through the materials and processes used: traditional cocciopesto, for example, or the calcareous stones found in the ground, or even the original tiles recovered from the building.

The renovation of the original architectural features of the structure is complemented by prestigious new accents, such as the burnished brass panels that enhance the interiors.

The people who lived in Antonino’s childhood home now bring to life the storytelling behind each room, with their feelings and emotions translated into physical environments through specific objects and materials.

The garden invites to both a practical and aesthetic use, interacting with the surrounding landscape: two vegetable gardens and an orchard are an expressive representation of the outdoor environment, but also yield high-quality local ingredients used by the restaurant.

The plants selected for the garden compose a mix that includes both typical local species and rare, more precious varieties.

The walls supporting the garden’s four terraces are made of calcareous stones recovered from the ground while cleaning the landscape, according to ancient farming customs that have been followed for centuries in this area of Campania.

Floors are all in cocciopesto, an ancient traditional material made with pieces of broken ceramic, widespread in Campania since the Roman Age.

The paneling on the interior walls is made in burnished brass, brushed on the lower portion to achieve a wavy gradient that adds a precious touch to the decor and suggests the perception of a single, continuous element.

The main staircase was restored, in homage to Campania’s culture and to the Cannavacciuolo family’s artistic flair, adding a collection of sculptures by Antonino’s father, who was a famous chef and sculptor.

“No one was to run, shout, play, or make a sound in front of the Parish Priest’s room. The glow of the tiny flames flickered on the golden threads of the stoles and on the pages of the breviary, always open on the table.”

“When I think of Annarella’s room, I see her entire family’s suitcases, each one a different size, like in the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. And the books, so many books: school books and summer novels, with their warn, drawn and doodled covers.“

Part of the building’s original tiles were restored and redistributed throughout the structure’s spaces.

“Every family has a confusing and mad Uncle: His room was the same: a wild merry-go-round of small treasures gathered and collected over the years. Every memento was documented and treasured. turning into the stuff of legends.”

“I always used to sneak into the Grandmother’s room: it’s like I can still hear her. Inside, it still smells like lavender. the silence has preserved the sounds of the iron and rosary beads.”

“Marina would leave the door open as she undressed, acting as if no one was watching. She would bite into her figs with her eyes closed and everything would fade away: the red silk, the pearls, the glitter of the little bottles in the mirror.”