15 Sep AT THE HOUSE OF NICOLA DEL ROSCIO

AT THE HOUSE OF NICOLA DEL ROSCIO
where the experimental aesthetics of the artist CY Twombly permeates the space with a witty blend of prosaic objects and eighteenth-century grandeur.

Nicola del Roscio’s house is a 17th century hunting lodge built by a cardinal on the remains of an 11th century tower. Perched on a slope overlooking the port of Gaeta, a series of terraced gardens protect it from the surrounding activities. Inside, light and salty air flow through windows that provide a 180-degree view of the sea.

Upon his arrival in the 1980s, the house had collapsed ceilings and holes in the walls. The structure had been severely damaged during the war, remaining in a state of neglect for years. Del Roscio was however fascinated by the elegance of the interiors with their painted walls and original carved frames.

During the renovation, in some cases, he did not take the restoration into consideration, leaving the signs of time visible. “I used second grade tiles, they are slightly imperfect and look older. The streaks of rain that have left a blurry patina on parts of the frescoes have been left as they were ”

A permanent sense of “Work in Progress” upsets the rarefied elegance of architecture. There is a lot of Twombly in Nicola Del Roscio’s house.
Not just drawings and paintings, like the fake Picasso at the entrance. But in its experimental aesthetic: the whitewashed furniture, the irreverent mix of prosaic objects and eighteenth-century grandeur.

Del Roscio’s interiors also embody a clever approach to luxury that rarely indulges in comfort.
“I am grateful to the artists, because they open the way to a kind of inner freedom”