Villa on the island of Stromboli
Passing the galleryLeading headings: Marina Volkova
A photo: Caterina Tanini
Magazine: N1 (167) 2012
The legend really exists, the ancient Greek: according to Homer's Odyssey, the island of Stromboli belonged to Aeolus, a half-man semi-god who ruled the winds. At such mythological associations of the Greeks brought the local climate: on Stromboli is really very windy. From the sea, it looks like a boulder. The convex shape and gave it a name: strongulé, translated from ancient Greek, “round”. Smoke always hovers over the island - it erupts a volcano (over the past twenty thousand years), one of the craters of which is located on the very top of the boulder. Only 400 people risked settling here, one of them was Italian businessman Gianni Tanini. He immediately fell in love with this pristine place. “That's probably the way it was at the time of the creation of the world,” he says.
The house was built in the late XIX century. Having acquired it, the Tanini family immediately took up a major restructuring. Oriented to local architectural traditions that are extremely simple. A squat, square-plan building stands on bare rock and faces east: there are incredibly beautiful sunrises on the island. Along the perimeter of the house is surrounded by a terrace where the family spends a lot of time: here it is sunny and warm most of the year.
The interior is strict, if not ascetic. The hosts decided to limit themselves to a minimum of things, which is also in the spirit of local traditions. The inhabitants of the island are guided by the principle of “nothing extra”. It is believed that this wild land is so beautiful that there is no need for a décor other than the view from the windows. All the furnishings of Tani's come from Stromboli, the same made by local craftsmen, or even by the owner himself, who is interested in carpentry. The floor, walls, and ceiling are painted white, the furniture is also matched white. On the one hand, it meets local traditions, on the other - the tastes of the owners. “My company is engaged in the production of plumbing and bathroom furniture, most of them are just white. So I can say that the love for this color is professional, ”says Tanin. “Besides, as they say here, he brings happiness.”