The villa, with own private descent to the sea, is built in an elegant and luxurious neoclassical style on four levels and is adorned by tens of archaeological objects of inestimable value.  The property enjoys 270-degree sea views, while the entire Western, Eastern, and Southern sides are surrounded by a large, private garden (considered Italy’s most impressive, private garden – see description below) with more than 700 species of plants, flowers, and trees up to 60 feet high.  A walk through the property – its garden, open spaces, and internal rooms is a truly emotional experience: elegance and classicism, all with a very strong relationship to local southern Italian traditions, can be found through the property’s décor, paintings, and various artefacts.  Marble columns and fragments complete its style, while it is difficult to verbalize what Villa Syrene truly represents.  Guests will surely be overwhelmed by its history, as well as its gardens, style, detail, and stunning sea views. Property details: The entrance to the neo-classical residence is very soft.  A private driveway leads through the garden right down to the entrance door. The entire property is decorated to a very high standard and fully furnished with top quality furniture and contains remarkable art and art collections.

Ground Floor

The elegant entrance hall, lined entirely in marble and white columns, is adorned with important marble fragments and Roman statues.  Three French doors access the Vestibule facing the sea, which lead out onto an unfurnished terrace. The lounge boasts a white marble floor, stucco walls, antique statues and sculptures, and special lighting adding to the elegance and intimacy of the property.  From the lounge, one can access a study with a blue antique tile floor and a Library with a black marble floor, couch and writing desk.  A valuable art collection of antiques abounds. The living room is furnished with sofas, couches, a marble topped table and enjoys a French balcony with sea views The 6 luxury bedrooms, all with high ceilings, antique pieces of furniture, prestigious textures, parquet floors, valuable marble designed and executed to detail,  are located on the first and on the second floor, all up a large, majestic marble staircase decorated with lovely period paintings.

First Floor

The first floor, up 23 steps from the main entrance hall, consists of two majestic Suites of which one is the Master Suite. Master Suite with Sea View Suite in Pompeian style with King size double bed, parquet floor. Antique wood dresser. Three French windows with stunning sea views overlooking the Bay of Naples. Double fireplaces, 2 orange velvet chaise lounges. Separate living area with ceiling dresser, three French balconies with garden and sea views. Hidden flat screen TV. Private bath in black marble and parquet floor with black marble tub and large shower with glass doors. Mirrored walls. Two French balconies with sea and town views. Suite with Garden View Suite in Pompeian style with King size double bed & parquet floor. Colours are pleasantly kept in shades of red, orange and deep brown, while the ceiling enjoys a colour of deep blue. Two French balconies face the garden. Minibar and hidden flat screen TV. Built in closet. Private bathroom in black marble with ceiling dresser. Black marble bathtub, large shower with glass doors. Two French balconies with partial sea view and garden view.

Second Floor

Up 23 steps from the main entrance hall.  Four double bedrooms all located along a corridor with a beautiful antique tile floor. 1st Double room with Sea View Spacious double bedroom with King size bed, parquet floor. Walk-in closet.  Three windows with sea views. Pieces of antique furniture, chaise lounges in Turkish velvet, couches, large writing desk, hidden flat screen TV.  Private bath in grey and red marble, beautiful ceiling dresser. Large bathtub. Two windows overlooking the sea and the town center. 2nd Double room with Sea View Spacious double bedroom with King size bed, parquet floor. Built-in closet. Two windows with sea and garden views. Small writing desk, couch, hidden flat screen TV. Private bath in green and grey marble, beautiful ceiling dresser. Large shower with glass doors. Small window with garden views. 1st Double room with Garden View Double with King size bed, parquet floor. Two windows with garden views.  Couches, marble topped period writing desk. Hidden flat screen TV. External area with built-in closet. Private bath in black and red marble and with a beautiful ceiling dresser. Large bathtub and shower with glass doors. 2nd Double room with Garden View Spacious double bedroom with double bed, parquet floor. Built-in closet. Two windows with garden views. Pieces of antique furniture, writing desk with inlaid wood, couch, hidden flat screen TV. Private bath in white marble, beautiful ceiling dresser. Large shower with glass doors. Small window with garden views.

Third Floor

23 steps lead up to an unfurnished panoramic rooftop.

Additional Floor

Situated on level -1, this floor is accentuated by a terrace offering incredible views out over the Bay of Naples and the majestic volcano, Mount Vesuvious, lying directly in front, on the opposite side of the Sea.  Views are truly spectacular on days when the sun plays with the colours of the deep blue sea and the skylines at the top of the volcano.  The marble-floored terrace has wrought iron tables and chairs with cushions.  Hammock.  The terrace also features an electronic canvas to balance the heat and shade. Living room opening out onto the terrace, boasts a beautiful art collection and fully restored period paintings.  To the right side of the living room lies the music room, with a wonderful piano entirely built in wood by local artisans.  To the left side lies the dining rooms and the kitchen.  The dining area consists of a formal dining room with two French balconies opening onto the terrace, with a marble-topped table and 8 chairs, and a smaller private lounge with a marbled-topped table and 4 chairs.  Both are elegant and portray the style found throughout the villa. The informal dining room leads directly into the kitchen, on one side, and to the external dining terrace, on the other.  The spectacular and large kitchen is divided into two areas and with vaulted ceilings, is tiled entirely with black and white tiles.  It features a large semi-round cooking station with 6 stovetops and a sink.  The kitchen has several facilities, which allow for preparation of everything from snacks and light meals to full meals or gala dinners.  It features a double sink, double ovens, large refrigerator with freezer, ice cream and sorbet maker, toaster, microwave oven and meat-slicer.  The kitchen leads to a terrace, which is an extension of the main kitchen, as it offers external cooking and dining facilities including a brick oven (ideal for pizzas, homemade breads, fish, and meats). This floor is served by a detailed bathroom in all black marble.

Floor -2

Reachable by an external staircase of 21 steps off the main terrace. This floor enjoys a gym with 2 precors machines, a massage room (please ask for updated description); a glass covered portico allows one to enjoy the breathtaking sea views. An elevator leads from the ground floor down to the gym, saving 45 steps. There are 120 steps to the water.

Boat Dock – Sea Access

A path of approximately 100 plant lined steps leads down to the sea and the villas private boat dock.  Once you are down there, you will be surprised of what you see – a thermal pool with a circular vaulted ceiling, is partly a natural cave (grotto) excavated by the Romans and used a thermal pool.  It is the original, functional remains of what was once were the thermal baths of the Roman villa belonging to Emperor Augustus’ grandson. A real wonder of nature and history.  The grotto is still fed by the sea with fresh seawater and an ideal, sandy area to swim and relax.  The East side of the grotto holds an ancient, Roman fish-breeding pool.  A ½ bathroom is comfortably, located along the way down to the sea.  5 steps lead from the grotto to the private boat dock, where a set of stairs leads directly to the sea – ideal for sunbathing and swimming.

The Garden

At the beginning of the twentieth century, William Waldorf Astor bought the house and, where the convent once stood, designed its gardens, encircled by walls and balustrades, to protect his private and exotic oasis of palms, oranges, cypresses, eucalyptus, and pine trees.  Secret paths and alleyways run through the lush vegetation revealing statues, urns, fountains, and glimpses of sea and sky through the windows cut out in the high wall along the seaward side.  Villa Syrene’s spectacular garden was designed and built following the dictates of three different landscaping schools: The Italian Renaissance School, English Style, and Gothic Revival.  The garden faces the Northern, Southern and the Western sides of Sorrento, and each part of it is designed according to its own spirit: The Northern side has symmetric terraces and straight paths and is lined with classical statues, sarcophagi, urns, fountains, capitals, and wineskins, while housing the oldest fragment found in the garden, which dates back to more than 600 B.C.  The Southwestern side is inspired towards the Classical English garden concept as one views, upon entrance to the property, majestic palms, Chamerops and Cycas, which welcome its visitors, and Ilexes and Araucariae which stand over sixty feet tall.  A sarcophagus, situated to the right of the entrance, stands next to two Medusa heads of rare beauty and several renaissance benches made of Siena yellow marble.  Across the entrance a hidden amphitheatre invites the visitors to follow the tile steps leading to the secret garden. Ecstasy takes charge as the deep blue sea and Mount Vesuvious appear though a three-arch stone window, where a stone siren lives.  Mullioned windows, situated along the East side, separate the visitor from an open view, due to its antique Japanese technique – shakkei – meaning ”borrowed landscape”.  Beautiful marble busts showing Mercury, Dionius, Juno, and Mars appear as you walk through the garden.  Roman and Punic amphora testify how the Mediterranean has always been filled with good exchanges.  Other important fragments and elements in the garden include a Paleochristian sarcophagus. On your way through the gardens delights, a small greenhouse suddenly appears from behind the hidden greenery, opening its doors to an ensemble of orchids, bromelie, hoya, and diverse flowers.  The Zen wall lines an area with huge Eucapultus trees while, unexpectedly, the small port of Sorrento, Marina Grande, a delightful mini-harbour crowded by colorful houses, boats, fishermen can be seen from above.  The garden is lit by garden-candles and lights and it doted by stereo system playing Mozart’s witty and joyful music throughout. The garden features a marble topped table with 10 iron chairs, which can be used for enjoying a garden picnic, while nearby lounge chairs line the irregularly shaped swimming pool (2 – 4 meters wide x 8 meters long). ** The pool will be fully renovated and enlarged for May 1st **. A vegetable garden, also part of the property, lies on opposite side of the street from the villa, providing guests with fresh fruit and vegetables varying during the different seasons.  

Artefacts & Art

The marble columns found in the hall of the villa once belonged to the Imperial Villa of Aprippa Postumus. They are antique-yellow colours and are built from marble deriving from the marble caves in Numida, which today is referred to as the country of Tunisia, where important Roman ruins such as the town of Cartagine reside.  The caves of Numida provided the Roman Empire with some of the most prestigious and beautiful marbles known to man.  The marble columns of reference were made with the materials which came from the sites’ very last excavations. One of the property’s centrepieces is the statue of the seated woman from the Byzantine era, dating back to the 5th century B.C (as well as one of the double-faced bust sculptures).  It is one of the oldest and most precious archaeological pieces on-site.  The statue clearly follows the Syrian style of sculpture and is believed to come from Syria.  This piece also comes from the Villa Imperiale.  Many archaeological remains, fragments, vases, and statues which so beautifully décor the present villa are the originals which were found in the Imperial Villa of Agrippa Postumus. They were used by the Dominicans to embellish the property’s former convent, which was built above the ruins of the Roman Villa, and were then used by the Viscount Astor (and now by the present owners) as wonderful décors.  Other pieces found throughout, such as Ming & Byzantine vases, originate from different archaeological excavations and are, today, part of the owner’s private collection. The statues which are found throughout the main halls of the villa are Roman copies of original Greek (Byzantine) statues (such as Acefalea), dating back to the period of the Emporor Agustus.  in the niches of the lounge are well made copies, made by the Romans, from Greek statues. These are dating back to the period of the Emperor Augustus.

Access

The villa can be reached by car or by boat, from the sea. 

Facilities

• Heating and Air Conditioning in all bedrooms/bathrooms
• Elevator connecting all floors
• TV, Pool. (2 – 4 meters wide x 8 meters long)
• Private boat dock and sea access
• Gym facilities and massage room
• Private parking
• Kitchen: 2 ovens, refrigerator with freezer, ice cream and sorbet maker, toaster, microwave oven, meat slicer. Brick oven.

Parking

The Villa has a car park on its grounds right in front of the main entrance.

Included in the rental rate

• 2 Gardeners (08:00-12:00; and 12:30-16:30)
• Housekeeper (Monday-Saturday: 08:30-14:30; Sunday mornings: 4 hours)
• Cook (food and beverages excluded)**Meals are served within the following hours: Breakfast: 8.30am-10.00am Monday-Saturday & 9.00am-10.30am Sundays | Lunch: 1.00pm-2.30pm daily | Dinner: 8.00pm-10.30pm daily (menus may only be changed or altered 3 hours before the set times detailed above);
• Maid for 5 hrs daily;
• Concierge;
• Dishwasher (dinner service only);
• Porter (upon arrival and departure only).
• Bed Linen & Towels will be changed every three days.
• Utilities

Historical Outline

Long before Wagner, Ibsen, or Byron discovered its delights, the peninsula of Sorrento attracted powerful and perceptive visitors.  During the first century A.D. Agrippa Postumus, grandson of Emperor Augustus built a fine villa on the peninsula right beside the present town on the site of what is now Villa Poseidon. That villa was built entirely with precious marble from the farthest provinces of the Empire and with many Egyptian and Greek works of art.  It was here that Ovid accompanied Giulia, Augustus’s granddaughter, for what was to prove a most disquieting encounter. The first floor of the original property was completely buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvious in 79 A.D.  Forwarding to the 13th Century, the site was turned into a convent by a group of cloistered nuns, however, after a destructive invasion by the Saracens in the 16th C., Dominican priests rebuilt the property.  These priests were the first who began to cultivate its gardens, importing the property’s first citrus fruit trees from the Middle East.  In 1888 the villa became private when it was sold to the a Count, a distinguished collector of antiquities and friend of Schliemann, the excavator of Troy, who bought the site and began to build its present house, which he called “Aux Roches Grises”, recalling the grey rocks on which the house currently stands.  He also created what is now one of the finest, private gardens in all of Italy. At the beginning of the twentieth century, William Waldorf Astor (the first Viscount Astor) came to Italy as an Ambassador, immediately fell in love with Sorrento, defining it as “the most beautiful place on earth”.  He bought Villa Syrene in 1906, enlarged its gardens and made a repository for his vast and ever-growing collection of classical, medieval, and Renaissance statuary.  The convent was destroyed and a wall along the property’s seaward side was raised, where various openings were made and decorated with medieval ruins and Greek-style temples. The garden was enriched by a precious collection of exotic plants, which soon acclimated to the mild Mediterranean air: Beaurcarneaue from Mexico; Cycas from Polynesia and Australia; Erythrineae from Brasil; Jacarandeae from Chile; Jubeaue from Egypt.  After Lord Astor, the villa changed hands several times until, from 1943 – 1945, the property hosted Benedetto Croce, turning it into a political crossroads for the rising Republic of Italy.  In fact, the official signing of the declaration for the first Italian government post WWII was signed in the room, which is used as the present study. The property underwent a tireless renovation of over two years to bring the villa to today’s sophisticated perfection.