History

With its iconic Mediterranean pine looming atop the cliffs and pastel yellow and white stucco, “La Terrazza” is the villa that defines Sorrento’s coastal harbor, crowning Sorrento´s famed coastline overlooking the Bay of Naples.  The layers of terraces grand and small reflect the villa’s namesake, offering both spacious and secluded perches overlooking the Bay.  Built and owned by the Royal Gunderrode Family since 1896, Five generations later, the villa is still privately owned and operated under the direction of Andrea Azzariti Fumaroli, fifth generation of the Royal Gunderrode Family of Frankfurt, Germany.
The villa, built on ancient Roman walls, is an historical landmark, and its construction marks an important period in the nineteenth century. It was built by the great German Baron Maximilian Von Gunderrode and was originally named “Villa Nardi.” At the end of the 1800s, while sailing the Mediterranean, the baron arrived in Naples and fell in love with the coastline, ultimately choosing this site to build his summer residence.  In 1896, the villa was re-named “La Terrazza.” The great Florentine builder, Romanelli, reconstructed the entire villa, making it larger and one floor higher. Fashioning it in the Italian Liberty-style, he incorporated stuccoes, images of angels, flowers, fruits, marble columns and staircases.  Over the years the villa was coined “the house of love” for its hospitality and spellbinding charm.