Whether it be a chic metropolitan apartment or a quaint villa in the countryside, Italian living spaces of all kinds exude elegance . The decor often draws from the country’s rich culture , boasting traditional art (like frescoes and sculptures) and warm color palettes reflective of the landscape. But don’t think Italy isn’t at the forefront of contemporary design —they often just pair it with classic regional influences to create a stylish blend of modern and historic. We’ve dipped into the AD archives to find 19 of our favorite interiors from the country’s most impressively decorated Italian homes. From a monochrome penthouse apartment in Naples to a colorful medieval castle in Umbria, these rooms are bound to inspire you to live la dolce vita.
Designed by Studio Peregalli, this Naples apartment does pattern play right. Intricate parquet and mosaic floors distinguish their respective spaces. A candle-burning chandelier and marble sculpture create a dramatic entryway, whereas the library poses as an intimate escape with a collage of dark wood and velvet pieces.
A corner of the living room in this Naples apartment offers a view of Castel dell’Ovo and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Roberto Peregalli and Laura Sartori Rimini of the Milan-based design firm Studio Peregalli designed the interiors; the armchairs and asymmetrical linen curtains are by Studio Peregalli.
Martyn Lawrence Bullard designed the interiors of this restored medieval castle in Umbria . The great hall features 18th-century French armchairs upholstered in appliquéd leather, a table draped in a Coraggio fabric, and stools from Mecox; the mantel is from an Italian monastery, and the tapestry is 17th-century Flemish.
A claw-foot tub and decadent drapery are fitting for this washroom inside a remodeled castle in Umbria, Italy, a project of architect Domenico Minchilli and decorator Martyn Lawrence Bullard. The use of religious imagery and ancient sculpture makes for a very royal bathing experience, while the purple ceiling boards bring unexpected color to the sun-drenched room.
The flamboyant Chinese Gallery is the centerpiece of Villar Perosa , the 18th-century Northern Italian estate that has been style leader Marella Agnelli’s country home since 1953. She restored the vaulted space with the help of French decorator Stéphane Boudin.
“Our objective was to restore the property to its original splendor,” Susie Ropolo says of a run-down country estate in Moncalieri that she and her husband, Gianni, revived. The terra-cotta floor was salvaged from another room.
In the library of Count Raniero Gnoli’s apartment near Rome , scalloped strips of hand-decorated leather protect books from dust. He designed the glass-and-iron bell-jar lantern and had it handmade in India; a late-18th-century Italian armchair is pulled up to the 19th-century walnut table.
A custom-made tapestry of the Bay of Naples dominates the master suite of the Naples penthouse that designer Allegra Hicks shares with her husband, Roberto Mottola di Amato. Her prints were used for the curtains and the armchair and its pillow.
In a restored farmhouse at the western edge of Umbria, the arch between the living room and the entrance hall was re-created from the original structure.
Villa Cetinale , the 17th-century Tuscan residence of Ned and Marina Lambton, the Earl and Countess of Durham, was restored by architect Bolko von Schweinichen and interior designer Camilla Guinness. The arms of Cardinal Flavio Chigi, the villa’s original owner, are painted on the drawing room ceiling.
Studio Peregalli transformed Villa Bucciol , a home in the town of Oderzo, near Venice. Facing the living room’s 16th-century fireplace are a pair of armchairs dressed in arras tapestry; a 17th-century gilt-wood chandelier hangs above, and an antique Oushak covers the floor.
At Castello di Reschio, architect Benedikt Bolza and his wife Nencia’s sprawling Umbrian estate , the garden room is distinguished by original limed-oak beams and a mantelpiece crafted from reclaimed sandstone.
Siena architect Marco Vidotto and Vero Beach, Florida, designer Susan Schuyler Smith combined a deconsecrated church and an adjacent apartment in La Convertoie, a fortress in the Chianti region that dates from the 11th century, into a single residence . The nave—now the living room—was restored to reflect its original design.
In the same home, the arch and the fresco were carefully refurbished to honor the character of the space, while the touches of blue decor throughout the room add a modern Mediterranean element.
A 600-year-old abandoned farmhouse near the Tuscan town of Anghiari was transformed into a handsome villa while retaining its authenticity. Tuscany’s strict antiquity laws limit alterations, so not even a window could be moved during the rebuilding.
At the Tuscan villa of Dede Pratesi, the living room ceiling’s frescoes predate the early-1700s Venetian chandelier. Dede and her late husband, Athos, bought the lacquer table in India; the wing chairs are covered in a floral by Colefax and Fowler, and the curtain fabric is by Rubelli from Donghia.
Centuries of style mingle in the Rome apartment of interior designer Livia Rebecchini and her family. A bathroom window frames a bell tower; the drawing is by Sandro Chia, the chair is 19th century, and the table is by Gio Ponti.
The Rome apartment of pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque was renovated by architect Alessio Lipari and decorated by Axel Vervoordt. In the living room, an antique Italian mirror hangs above the slipcovered Vervoordt sofa, and a bronze Thai Buddha torso is displayed on a sculptor's pedestal. The armchair at right is Louis XIII.
Architect Laura Sartori Rimini and interior designer Roberto Peregalli of Studio Peregalli crafted a Milanese pied-à-terre for an Italian family in the fabric business. The duo drew inspiration from original architectural details to create the library, a stately space overseen by two early-19th-century portraits; the custom-made sofas are covered in a Madeleine Castaing fabric by Brunschwig & Fils.