Casa Rubino

When you open the main door from the street, you step into another era, as the building’s entrance hall dates from the mid-19th century. After climbing a steep stone flight of stairs, you reach the door of the apartment, which leads into a short corridor that is lined with a series of cupboards.

Two steps and you are in the kitchen with handmade tiles designed by me and furnished with beautiful lamps and a Scandinavian design table. My father bought the table years ago for a little house he and my mother owned in Milan. The kitchen space opens up into the living/dining room so that even from the entrance corridor, you can see the beautiful sea view.

The three bedrooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom, are accessed from the kitchen and living space. The Blue Room enjoys the same sea view as the living room while the other two bedrooms (as well as the bathroom of the Yellow Room) have lateral views of the bay. The bathroom of the Red Room has a large window overlooking the garden below. Two of the three double rooms can be transformed into twin rooms.

Except for a few pieces, all of the furnishings are design pieces that either myself or my partner already owned and are rare to find in a rental. These include:

• Tavolo Gamma, Cappellini; Jasper Morrison
• Tavolo B617 Friz Hansen Superelliptical; Piet Hein
• Tavolo Vassoio, Hay
• Sedie Carimate Cassina, Vico Magistretti
• Lampada Arco Flos; Achille Castiglioni
• Lampada Tojo Flos; Achille Castiglioni
• Lampade Eclisse Artemide, Vico Magistretti
• Lampada Parentesi Artemide, Achille Castiglioni
• Lampada Disco 2133 Arteluce; Sarfatti
• Lampade Tolomeo Artemide, Michele De Lucchi
• Lampada Ph5 Poulsen, Poul Henningsen
• Lampada Sole, Fornasetti
• Lampada Lanternina OLuce; Laudani e Romanelli
• Lampada Dioscuri Artemide; Michele De Lucchi.

As with the kitchen tiles, the tiles in the three bathrooms were been designed by me and realised by “Ceramica Stingo”, a family-owned tile factory dating back to the 18th century. On the walls of all the rooms (including the bathrooms) are beautiful artworks and photographs from my own collection.

Guests have access to a fully equipped kitchen with all necessary amenities, including a kettle, a Nespresso machine and a dishwasher. There is also a washing machine and drying machine, plus an iron and a hairdryer.

The apartment is fully air-conditioned and, in the winter months, is heated with a state-of-the-art floor heating system.

Additionally and unlike most of the apartments in medieval Gaeta, it comes with a parking space just a few steps from the entrance.

Gaeta is famous for its history and its beaches. The climate is fantastic and the food is great — everything that tourists normally seek in an Italian destination. The closest beach can be reached on foot in 15 minutes while the others require a 10-minute drive.

Aside from the beaches, you can climb wonderful Monti Aurunci and explore the countryside, which is entirely covered with olive trees (Gaeta olives are quite famous in Italy). Both the coastal towns of Sperlonga to the north of Gaeta and Itri (which is located inland) are just half an hour away and particularly renowned for their beauty.

In an hour from Gaeta, you can reach the Benedictine abbey of Montecassino, the second oldest in Italy, which was founded in the 7th century by Saint Benedict himself. In roughly the same time, you can also reach the famous Garden of Ninfa, a beautiful and impressively large, scenic garden that was founded in the 17th century amongst the ruins of a town once owned by the noble Caetani family.

Other interesting sites include the pre-Roman town of Sessa Aurunca, which still exhibits many beautiful churches and other monuments from its almost 3,000-year-old history. The town of Capua is also scattered with monuments documenting its old and significant past.

From Formia, visitors can access the beautiful islands of Ponza and Ventotene, which form part of the so-called Pontino Archipelago. The area immediately south of Gaeta is famous for the quality of its Buffalo Mozzarella. While the name “mozzarella” is used to define even industrial cheese these days, the actual mozzarella (now protected as “Buffalo Mozzarella”) is made only with buffalo milk in two zones to the north and south of Naples. The area near Caserta (north of Naples) is quite close to Gaeta.