A visit to the iconic Il Capri Hotel, Pedro Restaurant and FADD Architecture studio - written by Alice Nardi.

At the beginning of last summer, for my birthday, I spent a night in Capri at a hotel renovated by a young entrepreneurial couple: Il Capri Hotel.

Il Capri Hotel is a historic site located on the main panoramic street of Capri, and since its establishment in 1899, it has attracted stars visiting the island. Graziella Buontempo and Arnaud Lacombe took the keys to this magical place two years ago, opening its doors in 2023. They maintained glimpses of retro style while adding a fresh, creamy touch to the hospitality philosophy and interiors.

Outstanding for its bright pink colour across the facades of the surrounding buildings and highly visible from both the main square and the port, I believe Il Capri Hotel brings new comfort and sustainability ideas to the large array of hotels and B&Bs growing and expanding on the island, which attracts a vast number of tourists every year.

Although Capri is home to many famous and luxurious hotels, Il Capri Hotel, with its neo-gothic architecture and pop character, distinguishes itself from the traditional ‘Caprese’ style. Upon entering, you step into a pink era, a pink world—a pink personality infused with tradition.

Upon arrival at reception, you’re warmly guided through the building, beginning with a tour of the main floor’s grand living rooms, leading to the Caprirama bar and Il Vesuvio restaurant, then up the ancient spiral staircase to the pool for a welcome drink, and finally outside to the underground discotheque, Rumore, open on weekends.

When you reach your cosy cocoon of a room, it feels like an alluring “lollipop” embrace. The thoughtful design includes all the amenities you might need, including three small guidebooks by Edizioni Conchiglia Capri, offering handy insights into must-see villas and island highlights. You can also purchase any of the objects available in the room, crafted by various designers using sustainable methods: from slippers to a hoodie and more.

The bathroom offers an array of bath and skincare products, an eco-friendly toothbrush, and plastic-free shampoos, all within a stylish double shower. The vintage chair, beach cabin-style wardrobe, plush bedding, and beautiful furniture in the room are just some of the cosy touches that make for a truly memorable stay.

And since company matters, on Sunday night, you’ll likely want to hang out on the rooftop for a generous free buffet at golden hour and meet Andrea Desiderio—a true Caprese native with a passion for collecting that’s been passed down through generations. Most Sunday nights, you’ll find him at the DJ console, spinning a selection that shows his artistic flair and sense of timing, filling the rooftop with disco beats that reverberate all the way down the street. His selections reveal not just musical expertise but a personal appreciation for legacy and an understanding of value that balances pride and purpose. Andrea even taught me the subtle yet profound difference between listening to an album reprinted digitally versus traditionally on vinyl—a distinction beyond words.

Another place that parallels Il Capri Hotel in innovation and style is Pedro Restaurant, a vibrant spot offering exquisite cuisine right in the heart of Capri, just steps away from the main square yet tucked away from the bustling crowds. I can honestly say I’ve rarely eaten as well as I did there; the risotto was among the finest I’ve ever tasted, crafted with top-quality ingredients. The atmosphere is relaxed, enhanced by a unique selection of organic and biodynamic wines—a rarity on the island—personally curated by Danilo Santamaria, a young wine enthusiast who owns and runs the restaurant, which recently opened in May 2024.

In the capable hands of Danilo and under the culinary direction of Fabio Tuozzo, Pedro Restaurant is an absolute must for an authentic, refined dining experience. It’s a special moment that offers not only culinary delights but also a memorable sense of conviviality.

While speaking about Pedro Restaurant, I’d love to introduce you to the creative minds behind its design. After visiting the restaurant a few times, I decided to meet the emerging talents of FADD Architects in Naples—a trio of young artists and architects making a name for themselves across Italy and beyond.

Visiting their open studio and meeting Marco Acri was an unexpected chance to dive into a rich conversation on art, design, and life in general. We discussed their work in detail, along with broader perspectives on creativity, especially how the spirit of creation manifests differently depending on how one engages with the world, thinks spatially, and navigates specific project needs. Marco’s library staircase, reminiscent of an old library, was a charming touch—displaying his personal book collection as a testament to his passions, and revealing an intimate slice of his life. The staircase stands opposite the kitchen, crafting an ambient, contemporary, and minimal setting that encourages quiet reflection.

Marco’s artwork immediately stood out as a language of its own, conveying reality, symbolism, architectural imagination, and subconscious visions. We discussed inspiring artists, including Raafat Majzoub and his concept of Writing as Architecture, Giovanni De Gara’s work Eldorado, and Rebecca Schneider’s temporality theory on call and response in performance studies (from the Me Too movement to prehistoric handprints on cave walls). The tour through their home and studio unfolded like an interdisciplinary dialogue, showcasing a beautiful fusion of interests.

After an insightful introduction to their studio and shared space, Marco took me upstairs to his own home, which also reflects FADD’s aesthetic and ethos in a more intimate, lively context. Entering through the main door, I was greeted by a vivid Moroccan Blue hallway, leading to the apartment’s main area. The layout mirrors that of the studio above, but what immediately caught my eye was one of Marco’s paintings, which seemed to echo the windows of the building across the street.

The apartment is nearly open-plan, a loft-like space that reveals FADD’s design principles through layers, repetitions, and motifs—a theme that is significant to Marco’s artistic approach. Though open, the space is subtly divided, reflecting Marco’s love for materials and textures. Slaked lime walls recall an antique style, while exposed ceiling beams and a 7x33cm elm parquet floor imbue warmth. The woodwork—from the library shelves to the table—is a testament to craftsmanship, with the space culminating in a striking steel parallelepiped that forms a kitchen peninsula on a seemingly floating floor.

In the kitchen, the floor tiles—a charming 7x7cm white and blue glazed square pattern—are a nod to Neapolitan artisanship. This tiled area serves as both an aesthetic and functional highlight, integrating a cutting-edge stove with a hidden vent that draws cooking fumes downwards, leaving the space above unobstructed. This home is a genuine reflection of FADD’s unique approach, where traditional elements harmonise with modern functionality in an effortlessly stylish setting.

“We want to highlight functionality over shapes, to design functions and then realise forms from that—not the other way around” Marco told me early in our conversation, while showing me the second room of their studio.

Here, the old building’s vaulted ceiling is ingeniously used to avoid casting shadows on project drawings laid out on the meeting table. To me, this captures how FADD Architects seamlessly blend the old and new, leaving their distinctive footprints in the spaces, or worlds, they create.

Like their studio, Pedro Restaurant retains the structure of its former life as a convent, revitalised through colour and simplicity. The dining rooms resemble a small chapel, inviting guests to daydream and time-travel while savouring a plate of Ravioli Capresi.

One of the standout features at Pedro Restaurant is the beautifully crafted, hand-cut wooden bar counter—sinuous in its raw simplicity—where guests can enjoy an expertly mixed cocktail. Alternatively, you can relish a full-bodied glass of red wine, as Danilo, the owner, loves, in the courtyard. Here, every Wednesday, the house offers complimentary food tastings accompanied by funky, pop beats curated by Nicolò DJ. It’s the epitome of a lively, hip evening.

Reflecting on the places that drew me in, I realise that beyond aesthetics or ambience, there is a shared quality uniting the people gathered in these spaces—including myself—a common spirit, a shared pulse. This thought struck me at the end of the summer in Naples, as I listened to Tommy Boy DJ scratch some wild tracks at NNS Edicola for the launch of Pino d’Angiò’s new album, J’Adore Pino D’Angiò.

This is a small story about tracing the creative and assembly process behind the scenes, about how design travels in motion through our bodies and the bodies of places where we find joy, knowing how fleeting it all is today. It’s about a life imagined and realised beyond the mainstream, not as a turn away from the world’s current challenges, but as a way to practice beauty and seek a sense of future, a future that rolls like a vinyl, guided by a conscious living.

This article has been written by Alice Nardi: artist, writer, designer, researcher, and critical agitator. Passionate about sustainable design and architecture.

Photography Courtesy of @IlCapriHotel @FADDArchitects @PedroRestaurant

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