The vintage Carrera sofa designed by De Pas, D’Urbino and Lomazzi for BBB Italia and artwork by Jakub Milčák anchor the living room. Niní’s handmade ceramics and a Berber mat are also displayed in this space.
A Puglia-born ceramicist and art collector has created a meditative retreat surrounded by native olive trees.
Niní Bonavoglia is an artist, art dealer and art collector. Born in Bari, Puglia, and spending his formative years here, he studied abroad in Milan and Paris before a 10-year stint in New York. Now, the art cognoscente yearned to be close to home again.
Niní’s parents first laid eyes on a tree-lined plot of land tucked at the end of a gravel sideroad by chance. “I fell in love with the location the minute I saw it,” Niní explains. “I loved the silence and the imminent sense of peace.” After three years of construction, the Valle d’Itria villa and unique hospitality experience was born and named ‘Amazigh’; Berber for ‘free man’, and a symbol for the olive tree.
Niní sought to create a place where guests could immerse themselves in Puglia’s culture and the slow way of life. Covering the vast area of central Puglia, Valle d’Itria is known for its bright red soil, olive groves and vineyards, narrow streets and traditional white buildings with cone rooves. Turquoise water and sandy Adriatic beaches are a short drive away, including Niní’s favourite place to swim, Torre Guaceto Nature Reserve.
The secondary kitchen is housed in an alcove, where industrial metal mesh joinery contrasts the Berber mat and terracotta walls.
The two new buildings, with their white walls and rectilinear form, reflect the neighbouring architecture. Inside, Niní has filled the houses with a unique array of objects d’art, including a series of Berber mats from travels through North Africa and his own ceramic pieces. “I started working with ceramics during construction. This allowed me to incorporate different personal elements of my work into the project, such as the fireplace, door handles and sculptures that inhabit each room,” Niní says.
The two-part villa features four bedrooms with ensuites, two kitchens, two living rooms and an outdoor entertaining area overlooking the pool. Each space shares a common language of earthy colours, tactile rattan and bamboo accents and antique furniture collected by Niní over the years. Artisanal objects and vintage Italian lighting contribute to the eclectic yet considered Mediterranean aesthetic. “When I’m here, I feel at peace and reconnect with myself, my passions, and all the little things that make me happy,” Niní reflects. So much so, he wants to transform the villa into an artist residency. “I think it’s important to grant the place the creative contribution of diverse, “like-minded people to enhance the legacy I have created.”
This feature originally appeared in est magazine issue 51: Design Voices.
Niní paired the vintage sofas from Belgium with an iron table, ceramic fireplace surround and ceramic sculptures he designed. Other pieces include a photograph by Alessio Boni and two wall lamps designed by Gino Sarfatti.
The primary bedroom and ensuite are separated through a wall of mesh joinery adorned with custom handles designed by Niní and the ceramicist’s most treasured possession in the home, a 19th-century portrait bought at an auction. The B&B Italia Camaleonda rectangular ottoman and a vintage rattan chair by Franco Albini also feature in this space.
Niní opted for granite in the bathroom for its contrast and hardness, together with the terracotta paint and another Berber mat.
Woven rolled mats from Andalusia and a traditional bamboo pergola shade the outdoor kitchen from the hot afternoon sun. This space also features 1950s wicker chairs by Gian Franco Legler and a table by Niní Bonavoglia.
The fully-equipped outdoor kitchen in concrete and stone encourages guests to cook local produce, with Bertoia barstools designed by Harry Bertoia for Knoll.
Two vintage armchairs and a built-in, half-moon sofa under the shade of the bamboo pergola.
A centuries-old olive tree extends over the pool area. Lyndon lamps designed by Vico Magistretti for Oluce feature on the building’s exterior.
