Casa Oliva

A villa cut into the hillside above the sea, conceived as a cool interior in a hot landscape. Hand-troweled lime plaster keeps the rooms shaded and calm; olive wood, salvaged locally, warms the thresholds between inside and terrace.

Water runs the length of the plan — a still reflecting pool that draws the horizon indoors and doubles the evening light. The house is almost monastic by day and golden at dusk.

“The Mediterranean does not need decoration. It needs shade, stone, and a place to sit.”