August 2, 2007
"Those who dream by night in the dusty
recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men for they may act their dream with
open eyes and make it possible."
T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) as posted at Villa Cappelli.com
As you know, The Three Tomatoes love all things Italian, but most especially
the Italian lifestyle. One of our birthday promises to ourselves, is to spend more time living “La Dolce Vita”,
which is not so easy to do when you live and work in the fast paced whirl of New York City. And one of our escape dreams, like
many of you too we’re sure, would be to own a villa in Italy. Well this week, dear tomatoes, we met our new hero who is not just dreaming the
dream, but walking the walk, talking the talk, and living the dream -- and when we tell you his story, he will become your new hero too.
From Ad Guy to Villa Owner
Paul Cappelli lives, breathes, and thrives in the fast paced whirl of NYC as head of
a very successful ad agency he founded 14 years ago.
And when you first meet him, you see a typical fast talking, wise cracking, New Yorker -- that is, until he starts telling
you about the 11th century villa he bought in Italy three years ago and is lovingly and painstakingly restoring. So how
did all of this come about we wanted to know?
Well Paul was actually born in Tuscany and spent the first seven years of his life
in the little town of Pisa (yes, the one with the leaning tower.) He then moved with his mother to Boston (his Dad died when
he was two) and grew up as an American. But every summer his Mother would send him back to Italy to spend time with family, so he
has the soul of an Italian. And of course, as an adult, he frequented Italy as often as possible and often thought how great
it would be to own something there.
Under the Puglia Sun
He considered the place of his birth, Tuscany, but it’s become
overpriced, and over touristed -- why to go to Italy to meet New Yorker’s? So he headed south to
the small farming community of Terlizzi, in the Province of Bari, on the eastern coast of Puglia, in the heel of the boot where his family has lived
for at least 200 years. And it was there, three years ago, that he first set eyes on a 20,000 square foot villa
in ruins, whose oldest section was built in medieval times, that had been uninhabited for 50 years, with no running water, surrounded by olive
groves -- and it was love at first sight. A lesser dreamer would have run, but this creative ad man
genius saw what it could become and in a New York minute the villa was his, and reborn as Villa Cappelli.
Some of the things Paul fell in love with include the fact that
the villa “sits gracefully on the unpaved and infrequently traveled Via Appia Trainani", which was built by the Roman
Emperor Trajan somewhere between A.D. 114 and 177, who created the road by cutting into the even more ancient Appian Way which was
built in 335 BC. And he fell in love with the olive groves, fig trees, pomegranates, and lemon trees that
have grown on this land since before Christ and the Greek empire. And of course he fell in love with all 20,000 square feet of the
villa, including its great stone wood burning oven, the old chapel, and the ancient cave in which lies a phallic sculpture.
And he’s only 7 miles from the Adriatic Sea and its beautiful beaches too. Oh, and you won’t find very many
tourists here either, although the region itself is quickly becoming one of the hottest tourist spots in Italy.
So for the last three years, Paul has been renovating the villa.
Now knowing what it’s like to renovate just a small apartment in Manhattan, we asked Paul what’s it like to renovate an
enormous villa, especially when he is not there full time to supervise. Well, he did fire the first set of contractors, and
then hired various family members who are in the building trades, and all has gone smoothly since. Although he
said the biggest problems he’s had with the contractors is that they keep wanting to make things look new, and he has to
keep reminding them to keep it old. And amazingly, in just three years, the villa is now almost fully
restored, and boasts a spectacular swimming pool and other modern amenities (not everything is old) that live harmoniously in this perfect medieval
setting. (Maybe we can get those contractors to come to NYC?)
So now Paul, with his loved ones and friends, spends as much time as he can
enjoying the villa and the sweet life in Southern Italy. And it’s easy to get to as well. You fly
into Rome and then take a 35 minute flight to Bari and you’re almost there. Would he ever live at the
villa full time we asked? Well, one of the things he said that makes him appreciate the villa even more is its juxtaposition with
his life in NYC, which he loves too. And he even brings a bit of Italy here, bravely navigating the City streets on his Vespa.
But wait, there’s more….
Now we mentioned all those olive groves, and farming land,
so Paul, not content with just hanging out at the villa (he is a New Yorker and an ad man after all), launched a product line of amazing olive oils,
sun-dried tomatoes and other wonderful Italian food delights, all grown and produced in Puglia. We tried his olive oil and
it is superb. And the good news is that you can buy the Villa Cappelli products online, or at the Chelsea Market in NYC, or taste them at the Scotto family restraurant,
Fresco (these are the
Scotto’s who are frequent guests on the Today Show). Or, if you live in New Jersey, you can buy them at King's
supermarkets.
Ready for La Dolce Vita?
Well now here’s the best part. If you’re not quite
ready for that villa purchase of your own, Paul will rent the villa, along with any kind of staff you desire. So if you’ve
done the Rome, Tuscany, Venice thing, and are ready for a real, authentic taste of southern Italy, visit the Villa Cappelli web site and then contact Paul@villacappeli.com.
We are so there, we can already feel the Puglia sun beating down on us from a sandy
beach on the Adriatic sea, savoring the seafood and grilled meats (which are specialties of the area), not to mention the freshly made pizza from the
wooden oven at the villa, and toasting ourselves with wine from the region just before we take a dip in the pool.
So here’s to the dreamers like Paul, who live their dreams.
We’re going to make him an honorary tomato!
Ciao ‘til next week,
The Three Tomatoes
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