The dream vacation home of J. Paul Getty was purchased in 1960. He could have chosen a palazzo in a bustling resort destination like Portofino or Capri, but he chose Ladispoli because of his obsession with ancient Rome, which included rare bronze statues and priceless friezes. His home there was built in 1640 for guests of the Orsini clan, who lived in a castle next door. This stretch of Tyrrhenian coastline was a premier destination for Rome's elite until World War II, when it was bombed heavily. The ruins of a second-century Roman villa that were unearthed during the renovations of the home are now displayed in a basement gallery filled with museum-quality works.
Marie-Louise Sci is the creative director of the Pellicano Hotels Group and she said that the property was once owned by a man who had trains arriving from all over Europe with antiques. It is one of the largest private collections of Renaissance pieces and we have kept it the same as he left it. There is an 18th-century marble bust of the Roman consul Menenius Agrippa in the entrance hall, and an intricate Aubusson tapestry depicting a woodland scene in the sitting room. When her father turned the house into a 19-room hotel in 1990, she and her three siblings lived there. The elderSci had been in possession of Hotel Il Pellicano for over a decade, which was located about 75 miles up the coast in Porto Ercole. The hotel was once an essential stop-off for la dolce vita-era celebrities like Sophia Loren, as well asJackie Kennedy and Charlie Chaplin, and it was also the location of a series of photographs by Slim Aarons.
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The villa that houses the hotel was built in the 1600s and underwent extensive renovations in the 1960s after being purchased by the oil tycoon.
It was also a place for parties. There was always an excuse. My mother would throw a party if there was an eclipse in Mexico. La Posta Vecchia has had its fair share of memorable nights, but most of the time, she remembers playing hide-and-seek with the other children on the grounds, an expanse of manicured green lawns, towering palm trees and perfectly trimmed hedges. The family has three hotels in Ischia, one on the north end of the island and two on the south end. For an entire weekend in October, La Posta Vecchia was free because of a last-minute cancellation. Sci decided to host an impromptu soiree for her far-flung circle because of newly loosened travel restrictions. She said they planned the whole thing in three weeks.
She invited her guests via a card illustrated with a rendering, having decided to keep the theme simple. The idea was to have a Saturday lunch in the hotel's garden, complete with custom pillows and music and dancing, and then to go out in the sun. The party was moved to the wraparound terrace of the restaurant because of the forecast, which would allow for a quick escape if the weather turned. The threat of rain didn't stop the proceedings. The night before, there was an intimate dinner in the dining room with its high vaulted ceilings, ornamental door frames and arched windows that looked out onto the water.
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The photo was taken just before the preparty dinner on Friday evening.
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The dinner tablescape included a row of miniature olive trees.
The first arrivals to the dinner were greeted with champagne on the terrace. It was like a high school reunion for her when she saw her friends for the first time since the start of the Pandemic. The vibe was positive. She had set a long orange marble table with bouquets of pale pink dahlias in cut-glass vases, chandelierlike candelabras and miniature olive trees, which created a canopy of sorts above the tablescape. The places were set with Villeroy & Boch glassware, which was in blue with a sprinkling of gold-colored stars, inspired by the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. The menu for the night was simple and unfussy, with dishes such as tagliolini with shaved white truffles or spaghetti with fresh clams. After dinner, Sci dragged a speaker system out onto the terrace and started playing Diana Ross and the Supremes.
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The table setting was grand and the space was grand. I wanted the menu to be simple.
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The bouquets of fresh pink dahlias were offsetting the heavy greenery.
Manizeh Rimer, a long time friend of Marie- Louise, said that she surrounds herself with creative, loving people who always come together for her. They know they are going to have a blast and leave feeling inspired. Rimer, the founder of Jivamukti Yoga London, helped guests with a class on Saturday. It was absolutely wonderful to do it in the living room. Other guests spent the morning swimming in the hotel's indoor pool, roaming the grounds or visiting the basement museum.
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In keeping with the dance-party theme on Saturday,Sci wore a white blazer and sequined bell bottoms.
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There are lounge chairs on the terrace with black-and-white stripes.
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The lunch buffet was set up in the restaurant Cesar rather than in the garden because of the forecast of rain.
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A treccione, or braid, of fresh buffalo mozzarella was among the buffet offerings.
The terrace, which was awash in rain but a golden late-summer light, beckoned by one o'clock. Sci wore sequined bell bottoms, an oversize white blazer, and gold metallic striped Yves Saint Laurent platform heels as she prepared to return to her position on the dance floor. Guests were served a buffet of fresh mozzarella from the nearby Campania region, spaghetti with caviar and smoked burrata, meatballs with tomato sauce and Parmesan, beef tartare with yolky Béarnaise sauce, and cannoli filled to order. The legendary barman of Il Pellicano, who had driven down from Tuscany for the day, mixed some of his signature cocktails, including a take on a martini made with lime juice and mandarin liqueur. He knows everyone and remembers what you like and don't like.
The English D.J. Paul Harris began to play songs like "Dreams" and "Heroes" while at the event. Kim Scion, a creative consultant, and the fashion designer Andrea Provvidenza were both awarded the title of best dancer by the event's host, who said that everyone was full of energy. It is a nightly ritual that has been witnessed and enjoyed by those living and working at the property since the Renaissance, a constant that after the last year or so, felt especially soothing. It was a weekend dedicated to fun and togetherness. It was a night that all of us needed. The crowd was thrilled when a chef appeared in the doorway with steaming plates of cacio e pepe pasta. It meant they could keep going. Here, she gives her tips for throwing a party.
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Guests danced to classic songs by the D.J. Paul Harris.
Many of her guests wanted to get to know each other. She said that she didn't assign seating because a lot of people didn't know each other. I told them to take a seat and leave a space next to them. I didn't want it to feel like it was being forced. It was nice to have some freedom. If you were dying to catch up with someone, you could.
Different tastes, ages and points of reference are what Sci likes to mix at her parties. She wants to play music that works for everyone. She chose D.J. Paul Harris for his crowd-pleasing selection of remixed classics, which got everyone, from her father to her 20-year-old niece, onto the dance floor. She said that it was the music they knew. I love oonze-oonze techno but it is not for everyone.
On the lower level of La Posta Vecchia, you can see the mosaic flooring and ceramic vessels, which is why Sci always takes new guests on a tour of the property. "My friends always make fun of me for just calling it the basement, but I think it's quite extraordinary." Showing people around is a good way to make first-time visitors feel at home.
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The head bartender at Il Pellicano was also present. Here is one of his negronis.
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Morosi's station was used to make Pimm's Royales.
I think a lot of people drank too much or didn't drink at all during the lock down. I thought it would be a good idea to have organic wines. The bar was stocked with a wine from the Maremma region of Tuscany. It makes a difference to drink the kind of wine that doesn't make you wake up with a split head.
Prepare for headaches as well. When people stay over, I try to take care of everything. It includes having Alka-Seltzer put on the bed at night. If someone has a headaches, they wake up feeling better. It is an Italian thing.
I try to make sure that the guests who have been here before have different rooms. I want to make sure they have a new experience in every room. If you are working with a spare bedroom instead of a Renaissance villa, you can make each visit different. Try placing a few seasonal flowers in a vase by the bed or playing around with the color scheme by using a different set of sheets and throw pillows.
