Villa Astor: A Paradise Restored on the Amalfi Coast
Perched on the cliffs of the Sorrentine Peninsula, overlooking the Bay of Naples, Villa Astor is a majestic private residence that has been rightfully labeled as "Paradise". With a history that can be traced back to the 1st century A.D., Villa Astor has long been a home and a destination for the rich and noble.
The villa was purchased by Lord William Waldorf Astor in 1905, who transformed it into his passion project. He designed a splendid garden at the back of the house where a Dominican monastery once stood. His final addition to the property was the “Pompeiian” villa, decorated with Ionic columns and neo-classical frescoes.
The villa is home to a museum-worthy collection of Greek and Roman antiques. The lush gardens are filled with antique artifacts – columns, statues, fountains, urns, pottery shards, fragments of sarcophagi, and more. Many of these objects were originally excavated from Pompeii.
Visitors can enjoy the legendary 270-degree views of the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius through the bedroom windows or from a spacious terrace. They can also take a stroll through the immense 20,000m² botanical garden that boasts the finest botanical collection of over 1000 species of plants. The head gardener of Villa Astor is Aivars Zvidris, who with his team has carried out a partial reconstruction of the garden and takes care of Villa Astor's garden and plant collection on a daily basis.
