Floating above a UNESCO-protected hillside in Puglia, near the enchanting town of Polignano à Mare, you can turn your head to one side for the Adriatic views and another for stunning rows of olive groves. “We knew in our hearts this was where we needed to be,” says owner Massimo of the day he explored the area. And so a tenacious journey began to create Villa Specchio di Mare, which translates to “villa that mirrors the sea.”
The owner discovered Daniele Corsaro, an award-winning architect based in Grottaglie, and felt aligned with his aesthetics and vision. Inspiration came from Le Corbusier’s Pavillion House and the indoor-outdoor lifestyle of Californian architecture, namely works by Eames, Eichler and Neutra. Yet, traditional methods of Puglian construction were used, like dry stone walls and tufo stone.
Inside, a three-story custom steel staircase shares roots with an indoor tropical garden. Vintage designer furniture includes Bertoia chairs and a BoConcept sofa, and we love the Gyrofocus fireplace suspended in the air.
Outside, a carved stone wall lets air and light shine through an outdoor lounge area, the perfect place to sip a gin and tonic while watching the sea appear to fuse with the 40m² infinity pool. Fire a margherita in the custom-built, traditional outdoor pizza oven and share it with friends or family in the shaded outdoor eating area with a pergola of jasmine and wisteria flowers as the gradients of the sunset splash across the floor-to-ceiling wall of glass.
House and sea truly do become one in this remarkable villa in Puglia.
