Just opposite the façade of the cathedral and the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows complex and the Monastery of Santa Sofia is a flat with a refined, cosmopolitan character and oriental echoes – Constantinople is in the air, as are the Spanish dominations – an original house of rigorous and chic beauty. It is a dwelling that, in its own way, is contemporary and up to date, where shades of gray, taupe and Pompeian reds follow one another harmoniously, letting ancient echoes, artistic traces of past eras and memories shine through. And where contemporary works of art, 1920s furniture and late-18th-century mirrors and notable collections of designer ceramics are perfectly arranged.
This is where Adele Solimene lives, an intellectual of Neapolitan origin in love with ceramics, painting and literature. Her involvement in the city’s literature festival is such that she has often hosted Pulitzer Prize winners, Strega Prize–winning writers, and authors – both foreign and Italian – of great renown (the literary festival is now in its 11th edition and is held every year in June), who have felt “at home” in this beautiful apartment. Solimene also collaborated for several years, becoming a partner with the Sinopia Gallery in Rome, the city where she lived for decades until she chose Salerno as her base. Sharing this spacious flat is her partner, Emidio Trotta, a banqueting entrepreneur who, together with Solimene, immediately fell in love with this high-ceilinged maison and its large windows that breathe life. It was, however, a pearl that had been left to its fate.
The home had been abandoned for decades, though Adele and Emidio immediately realized its potential. And yet the call of Campania was very strong: for nine years the two moved to Salerno, a suitable place to take care of the family properties scattered throughout Campania. A careful renovation aimed at restoring the original spaces – which included the demolition of partitions dating back to the 1900s – created a large, charming flat. During the work, period plasterwork was uncovered and enhanced on the thick walls, and the high, wood-beamed ceilings were maintained and consolidated.
How would Adele tell her readers about herself?
As someone who has managed to live out a good part of her creative nature, thanks to solid roots anchored in fertile soil, full of affection and culture. I come from a beautiful family, I had two wonderful children, Olimpia and Giulio, two wonderful grandchildren, Leo and Bernardo, but I have gone further. I have had a life partner for twenty years, Emidio, a man of extraordinary human quality. The awareness of all this wealth gives me strength and energy that I put into everything I think and do!
Why Salerno and not Rome or Naples?
The choice of Salerno was a natural one because we belong to this area, not only culturally but also with properties and the family businesses in which we work.
Whenever you buy a property, there is always a kind of falling in love. How did you and this house meet?
We actually only saw the house we live in once, in the evening, in a downpour and with no light! We immediately knew it was the one. With a powerful soul, she welcomed us and made us a promise, if we freed her from the abandonment she was in! And once we had freed the walls from layers of paint, restored the original layout and little else…magic was accomplished.
What is the square footage; how is it laid out?
The flat spans about 1,900 square feet, and one side of the plan is almost completely without windows, and yet it works!
How did you solve the problem of the lack of windows?
The bathrooms were installed on the windowless side, as was the entrance, thus favoring everything else: the kitchen, the large central hall, the living room and the bedroom.
What part of the city are you in?
We are in the Duomo area, right in the historic center. Almost all the buildings here have religious origins dating back to around the 17th century. When we tackled the restoration, the idea was to “remove” to discover what was underneath.
And what discoveries did you make?
Stripping the paint from the walls brought out, as you can clearly see in the photos of the kitchen, some 20th-century grotesques on paper with a Pompeian flavor — very fashionable at the time. On the other hand, even if only in places, the rest of the house has revealed magnificent 17th-century limestone, which we have supplemented, where necessary, with simple lime scores. The painted plinth is coeval only in the entrance area.
Both you and your partner have a great passion for ceramics. Where does this love come from?
Ceramics are a common passion between Emidio and I; we love terracotta, the different techniques, the glazings, the firings…We have always considered it a very visceral art.
How did you realize the interior dècor approach?
We worked on the floor plan to decide which furnishings to include; there were some must-have pieces for both of us that the house welcomed as if they were tailor-made for her. Some things we bought together, while the vintage iron table in the kitchen comes from Detroit, and the Eames armchair is made from an exclusive leather.
What makes this place unique?
What I love about this house is the atmosphere, the overall energy that it emanates and that everyone including us can feel. This place has a soul that we have certainly liberated, but which existed before and will continue to exist.
Is there a favorite room?
The living room, the true architectural hinge of the house, located on the corner overlooking the monumental façade of St. Sophia and the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows from the late 16th century.
What feeling does this residence give you?
In choosing the house we were certainly influenced by our stays in Barcelona, Lisbon and even more so, Istanbul. The atmosphere is full of symbolism and history, but also very contemporary.
And then there is my passion for art: I had the privilege of collaborating with the Galleria D’arte Sinopia in Rome, my adoptive city for forty years, and of honing my talent for juxtaposing the antique with the contemporary in a completely natural way. I was also enlightened, during the design stage and while the work was in progress, by my daughter Olimpia Stacchi of Architects At Work; her contribution was fundamental.
Photography by Alessandra Ianniello.
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