Come back to Sorrento

It is with these words that antiques dealer Mariano Cappiello describes his Magi House Antica Dimora, an establishment located in one of the oldest buildings in the historic centre of Sorrento that offers guests an unforgettable stay immersed in history. A sixteenth-century residential building purchased and converted by Cappiello into a hospitality facility, Magi House retains its original structure divided into first-floor living spaces and ground-floor stables complete with an exit for horses. This original function is evidenced for example by the double entrance, one of which is «framed by arches and protected by a 17th century wrought iron gate, like a curtain opening onto a profusion of tufa, marble and stone that transports the observer into a now lost world».
The renovation work carried out by local artisans restored the building to its former glory, focusing in particular on the first-floor wood beam ceilings and the walls and vaults in exposed tufa, a material widely used in the Sorrentine peninsula. This already striking setting was further embellished with antiques from Cappiello’s private collection, including wrought iron niches, bas-reliefs, renaissance columns, friezes, sculptures, a reception desk specially built by a master tufa stoneworker integrating two seventeenth-century tufa ornaments, and a fourteenth-century fountain located in what was once the garden of the house, one of the very few in the city centre. This communal outdoor area is perfect for open-air breakfasts and is equipped with a Jacuzzi, «a tribute to the conviviality of Roman spas». The use of ceramic tile throughout the establishment was another important design choice. In particular, Ceramica Del Conca’s stone-effect Forum collection was chosen for the ground floor, where its irregular edges harmonise perfectly with the textured qualities of the tufa, while the Vignoni collection was used in the outdoor areas and for the wall coverings in the bedrooms and bathrooms. This collection combines a terracotta effect surface with contemporary colours and sizes, chosen here in an ivory white shade with a distinctly antique look.
The journey through history continues with the lift installed inside the old well shaft, allowing guests to admire the still intact walls and the preserved and restored door through which people would enter to pull up the bucket filled with water. The first floor living spaces have been completely renovated and comfortably furnished and stand out in particular for the seventeenth-century ceilings, which have been restored to their former glory together with decorations, friezes and original artefacts. The names of the four rooms are also inspired by history: the Caracalla luxury suite with mini-pool; the Armida mini-apartment; and the two triple superior apartments Caligola and Nerone. Furnished with high-quality materials and custom-made handcrafted furniture, they combine contemporary sobriety and the age-old appeal of objects of great artistic and historical value.