DEPARTURES
Magazine OCTOBER 2004

CONTEMPORARY VILLAS
Capri may have its detractors, especially in high summer, but the island retains an unmistakable glamour, especially within the confines of Anacapri's Villa Le Scale (BI; sleeps 12; $$$$$). A minute's walk from the main square, this 19th-century mansion—all white and very elegantly set in a terraced garden with a peacock-blue pool—only recently became available for rent. Refurbished by a chic antiquarian-art dealer-owner, the house is pretty much faultless. The Garden Suite is dominated by an 18th-century sarcophagus bath, albeit in an almost minimalist bedroom. The dining room is dominated by a 16th-century Turkoman fireplace and an Indian fountain commissioned by a 19th-century maharaja. Other grand touches: inlaid mosaics, a fabulous art collection—including a Neapolitan sea battle painted by the 18th-century master Leonardo Coccorante—and the best bathrooms of any rental I visited in Italy, complete with en suite hammams. The guest-to-staff ratio is two to one.

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