Pantelleria island, Italy
Lluís Clotet
Anna Bohigas
My cousin Victoria, married to a wealthy handsome man from Lake Garda, decided to build a small house on a remote island in southern Italy, where some sophisticated Milanese (like Giorgio Armani) used to spend the summer, and she took the risk of commissioning us for the project.
Off we went, and after five stops—Roma, Napoli, Palermo, and Trapani—our twin-engine plane landed on the dirt runway in Pantelleria. Upon consulting the regulations and visiting the site with our cousin, we realized that this beautiful stretch of coastline is heavily protected for its landscape, and only old dammusi -modest stone agricultural buildings topped with charming tiled domes- can be expanded.
On the level of the existing dammuso, we placed the bedrooms and bathroom. The living room, dining area, and kitchen share a spacious semi-buried area that opens towards the sea with a series of glass doors, and towards the mountain with a rear patio, enabling double illumination and cross-ventilation, which is very convenient in that region.
The island’s authentically African climate allows the generously sized porches, protected by shades, to transform into true outdoor living rooms. Concrete pilasters form an organized and perennial screen that frames the sea view, behind which the variable everyday life unfolds. Ignazio Gardella called it a bella opera preclassica when we showed it to him.
Photographs by Jaume Blassi, Jordi Bernadó, Lluís Clotet and OTB