Clifftop villa in Posillipo with a private stairway to a cove

In Posillipo the villas are built against the hillside and face the sea as if from a theatre box. This one, from 1938, descends over four terraces of yellow tufa, each with its own pergola and its own scent: jasmine, lemon, pittosporum. At the bottom, two hundred steps cut into the rock lead to a cove with a small landing stage and a flat rock for sunbathing.

The house has 520 m² with six bedrooms and six bathrooms, a salon with windows on the Gulf, a dining room with a majolica floor and a kitchen in lava stone. The main terrace, of 120 m², holds an infinity pool that seems to continue into the sea; a self-contained cottage welcomes guests.

The 2,200 m² garden is entirely on a slope, with a citrus orchard. Three parking spaces, independent heating, perimeter alarm. Vesuvius, Capri and the Sorrento coast are visible from the main bedroom on waking.