When you arrive to the Amalfi Coast you soon notice some towers.
Besides their historical function (lookout against invasions), some of the towers hide incredible and charming stories to be discovered.
They are also large and complex projects made on men’s dreams and hopes.
In 1909 Gilbert Clavel bought the Torre di Fornillo, inspired by the unique shape of that fortress, and had the idea (considered crazy by local people) to convert it into his private residence, into a place where he could relax and create. Clavel was a little great man, an artist, a writer, a genius who suffered from tuberculosis and had several phisical problems. He chose the Torre di Fornillo to avoid places which for him were considered crowded, for example Capri.
“Everything began with a dream: a man from Switzerland fell in love with a watching tower and decided to create his great escape there!”
After many years and difficulties, his dream was almost complete: a beautiful, mazy building where he met his guests and inspired their poems, art, music. Clavel was the connection between artists such as Prampolini, Depero, Marinetti and Norman Douglas. He was also a good friend of Leonide Massine and Pablo Picasso. He died leaving an unfinished but almost perfect work: La Torre di Fornillo.
Meanwhile in 1917 Leonide Massine bought Li Galli Islands, inspired by the Greek Mythology and the voices of the Sirens. His dream was to create a refuge for dancer, a place to escape from the suffocating materialism of modern life. The tower became his dancing school and here he conceived the most ambitious choreography.
The towers were, for Massine and Clavel, the places to rediscover the real beauties of life, a life made of simplicity and peacefulness.
Nowadays it is possible to rent both Towers and have a unique and luxury experience for your holidays on the Amalfi Coast.
Here you can find some infos if you wish to rent Torre di Fornillo:
http://www.homebaseabroad.com/matrix-property.php?location=Amalfi%20and%20Environs
And if you wish to rent an island: