Jacques Garcia: A Sicilian Dream: Villa Elena - Hardcover

by Jacques Garcia (Author), Alain Stella (Text by (Art/Photo Books)), Bruno Ehrs (Photographer)

On the outskirts of the spectacular baroque town of Noto, Sicily, Jacques Garcia has transformed an ancient monastery into an abode of earthly bliss.

Celebrated interior designer Jacques Garcia invites readers inside his private residence in Sicily for the first time. The former monastery, rebuilt in Noto's characteristic golden limestone, boasts spectacular salons that have been restored with a profusion of noble materials and techniques: colored marbles, flamboyant stuccowork, majolica tiles, damask silks, and velvets. Time stops in the elegant music room, decorated with embroidered silks and rococo-style mirrors that reflect the decor to infinity; the gilded dining room is hung with silk damask wall coverings and an eighteenth-century Murano chandelier and furnished with Chantilly porcelain and antique Italian rococo chairs. The grand marble salon features baroque paintings and a stunning collection of sculpture and Sicilian furniture.

The exquisite villa--surrounded by shaded terraces planted with towering cacti and succulents--attests to Garcia's love of ancient civilizations and his masterful blending of Arabian, Norman, Renaissance, and baroque influences that converge in Sicily's colorful history. The domain, dotted with ancient sculptures and reflecting pools, is graced with splendid panoramic views revealing the sea near Syracuse, a distant folly, a restored villa nestled in an ancient olive grove, and the decaying grandeur of a classical temple reconstructed with ancient fragments.

Author Biography

Alain Stella has written numerous books, including Jacques Garcia: Twenty Years of Passion, Ch穰eau du Champ de Bataille; Historic Houses of Paris; and French Wine Ch穰eaux: Distinctive Vintages and Their Estates. Bruno Ehrs is an award-winning Swedish photographer whose work has been published in Vaux-le-Vicomte: A Private Invitation, Ch穰eau de Villette, Villa Balbiano, A Day at Ch穰eau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, and Chaumet: Parisian Jeweler Since 1780.