Villa Astor: Paradise Restored on the Amalfi Coast

Description

Dominating the Bay of Naples in the charming town of Sorrento, with spectacular views of Mount Vesuvius, Villa Astor is an Italian landmark with a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire. American businessman, collector, and politician William Waldorf Astor - founder of the legendary Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York - fell in love with Italy during his time as American Ambassador in Rome. He purchased the villa that now bears his name and turned it into a paradise of art, beauty, architecture, and exquisite gardens. The eccentric, extravagant, and discerning art lover spent a decade restoring and decorating the house and gardens with an outstanding collection of classical artifacts. After Astor's death in 1919, the villa changed hands. It was recently acquired by new owners, who have restored the villa and gardens to their former splendor with the talented French decorator Jacques Garcia. This volume traces the splendid history of a legendary house, garden, and art collection and the extraordinary life of one of the world's most enigmatic tycoons.

The Right Honorable the Lord Astor of Hever is the great-grandson of William Waldorf Astor and a member of the House of Lords. Curt DiCamillo is a Boston-based architectural historian and an authority on the British country house. Eric Sander's photographs have appeared in Smithsonian, Life, Time, Newsweek, Le Figaro Magazine, and numerous books, including A Day at Chateau de Fontainebleau (Flammarion, 2015).

"Highlighting the historic Italian villa that William Waldorf Astor spent a decade restoring and filling with his impressive collection of art and artifacts Villa Astor: Paradise Restored on the Amalfi Coast ($65, Rizzoli) celebrates the masterpieces of art, architecture and astounding gardens." -Modern Luxury Interiors, Atlanta "Villa Astor is not simply a book about Astor's Italian villa, it is much more, as it charts his other acquisitions of Hever and Cliveden also, giving the reader a flavour of Astor's life and his passion for art and history in all his houses. Recently, the talented French decorator Jacques Garcia was commissioned to restore Villa Astor to its original splendour. He has produced a timelessly beautiful, yet eminently livable setting for the magnificent collection of antiquities the villa still houses. . . . . With superb photography by Eric Sander, Villa Astor is a colossal book, but anything less would not do justice to the photography or the subject. It is a joy of architecture, garden art and antiquity." -The Reckless Gardener "Who wouldn't want to take a trip to the Amalfi Coast to see Villa Astor? Well if your schedule and budget doesn't quite allow, this fantastic new book will transport you in an instant. Villa Astor: Paradise Restored on the Amalfi Coast showcases the legendary Italian villa that William Waldorf Astor exquisitely curated as a masterpiece of art, architecture, and design." -Political Style