The Los Angeles home of acerbic American intellectual Gore Vidal has sold for $3.75 million, according to property records. In 1995, Christopher Hitchens described Gore Vidal's final resting place in a piece for the London Review of Books. Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was an American writer and public intellectual known for his epigrammatic wit, patrician manner, and polished style of writing. For more than three decades, uncommonly erudite American-born writer Gore Vidal famously owned a gravity-defying villa in the resort town of Ravello along Italy’s postcard perfect Amalfi Coast. ... Gore Vidal was a bitter queen, a massive snob, poor company, convinced of his own brilliance, entitled, totally self-absorbed but rather a successful author and B-list celebrity with good taste in real estate. ©2021 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “I’ve been loyal to my furniture.”. To this day, the two manors share a park—with Villa Rondinaia set in an enviable position, resting at the convergence of three paths and directly facing a dramatic drop to the sea. Vidal lived at the 6.5-acre estate for nearly 30 years, finding it a natural artistic escape—a place where he could easily retreat into silence and solitude. The magic, privacy and distinction of this historic property are forever etched in a rugged seaside cliff.”. It is with these words that Gore Vidal, an American writer, essayist and dramatist, gives the reader the unusual experience of rainfall in August. Gore Vidal (1925-2012) was an American writer and public intellectual. The home is available for photo shoots and weddings, so curious travelers and Vidal fans alike can catch a glimpse while traveling through the beautiful Amalfi coast. Our website, archdigest.com, offers constant original coverage of the interior design and architecture worlds, new shops and products, travel destinations, art and cultural events, celebrity style, and high-end real estate as well as access to print features and images from the AD archives. “I sued to collect the million dollars Gore owed me from the Buckley lawsuit,” Straight tells me, “but more importantly, I sued to get the Outpost Drive house that Gore had promised to Burr.” The $4-million mansion is perched in the Hollywood Hills, its rooms lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in a rococo interior that looks frozen in the 1970s, when Vidal … Howard Austen died this same year, and in 2006, Gore Vidal sells the house in Ravello. About Gore Vidal. He took particular joy from reading by the water all morning, followed by swimming before lunch, then returning at sundown to watch the swallows sweep out of the evening sky to drink from the pool. The pool had to be dug by hand, since there are no roads to the property; its color was intended to approximate the Blue Grotto on nearby Capri. Named for its resemblance to a swallow’s nest, Villa Rondinaia was originally built in 1930 by Lord Grimthorpe, a wealthy banker from Yorkshire, who had acquired the ridge called Cimbrone at the beginning of the 20th century and began restoring the 11th century manor on the ridge that would later become legendary hotel, Villa Cimbrone. After decades of dividing his time between Rome and Ravello, Gore Vidal has moved permanently into La Rondinaia, his villa in Ravello. A lavender-lined path leads to the swimming pool, which is shaded by cypress trees and overlooks the Lattari Mountains. The furniture in Vidal’s bedroom “was made in 1840 for an old girl in Poughkeepsie, New York,” he says. ♦ Three years after Gore Vidal ’s death, his estate in Los Angeles has been updated and relisted for $5.7 million. Born into a political dynasty, he twice sought elected office. Gore Vidal's House (Former) Gore Vidal's estate on the Amalfi Coast, a villa known as The Swallow's Nest sits atop a 1,000-foot hill, and has played host to the likes of Tennessee Williams, Andy Warhol, Greta Garbo, and Mick Jagger. His studio epitomizes the merging of two households; pieces bought 30 years ago for Rome have found a place in Ravello. His home, La Rondinaia , clings to the cliffs which rise above the water like a solitary lighthouse, surrounded by terraces that spill down the hillside like a waterfall and lush gardens reaching to a nunnery up above. A Neapolitan bed frame, an 18th-century Austrian writing table, and a Don Bachardy drawing of Vidal near other family portraits and mementos are in the bedroom of Vidal’s companion, Howard Austen. About Gore Vidal. The American-born Vidal first came under Ravello’s spell in 1948, becoming part of its rich history of inspiring the intellectual set. Nestled above the Tyrrhenian Sea along Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Ravello is an ancient resort town teeming with pastel-hued palazzos, tucked-away piazzas, dreamy gardens and just the sort of sweeping blue-water vistas that writer Gore Vidal once called “the most beautiful” in the world. A 19th-century gilt-framed mirror in the dining room hangs above a circa 1810-Neapolitan gilt-wood sideboard. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. Mr Steers, who claims that Vidal had promised him his Los Angeles house, said Vidal's 'brain had gone'. During his tenure, Jenrette completed a restoration of the house and bought back much of the acreage (although not … An intimate, authorized yet totally frank biography of Gore Vidal (1925–2012), one of the most accomplished, visible, and controversial American novelists and cultural figures of the past century The product of thirty years of friendship and conversation, Jay Parini’s Empire of Self digs behind the glittering surface of Gore Vidal’s colorful career to reveal the complex emot Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Gore was a miserable person, but what a setting! In 2003, Vidal and partner Austen move from their house in Ravello to California. New York financier and preservationist Richard Jenrette bought Edgewater from Gore Vidal in 1969, by which time the house sat on 2.69 acres. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker logo, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury and the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury logo are service marks registered or pending registration owned by Coldwell Banker LLC. In a world more to his liking, Gore Vidal might have been president, or even king. Gore Vidal (1925–2012) was born at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Houghton Library will host a celebration in honor of the Gore Vidal bequest at Loeb House on Wednesday (Nov. 14) at 5.30 p.m., highlighted by “Gore Vidal in His Time,” a talk by Jay Parini, author of “Empire of Self: A Life of Gore Vidal.” A reception and pop-up exhibition at Houghton Library from Vidal’s papers will follow. The house, mentioned in the text, is La Rondinaia. The captivating view from a terrace at Villa Rondinaia. Gore Vidal died at his home in Hollywood Hills, California, on July 31, 2012, of complications from pneumonia at eighty-six years of age. “Its unique history, combined with the surrounding panoramas, carefully guarded privacy and uninterrupted stream of illustrious guests over the years, make it an unparalleled real estate opportunity.”. It's been sold to a luxury hotelier. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Absolutely yes, in the topsy-turvy world of Gore Vidal's richly entertaining new novel, Lincoln. Beyond the interior, private, terraced grounds are traced with serene pathways through overarching lemon and olive groves, chestnut trees, grape arbors and lush, tranquil gardens blanketed by wisteria and bougainvillea. Architectural Digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. As a child, Gore Vidal was photographed with his blind grandfather, Senator Thomas Pryor Gore of Oklahoma. The former home of Gore Vidal —historian, author, and sworn enemy of conservative William F. Buckley—is up for sale, reports Variety. As a boy, Gore Vidal read all 23 Tarzan novels. https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/08/gore-vidal-in-ravello-italy-obituary Gore Vidal was a celebrated writer who was described as the Oscar Wilde of … After decades of dividing his time between Rome and Ravello, Gore Vidal has moved permanently into La Rondinaia, his villa in Ravello. All Rights Reserved. Homes - Celebrity - Entertainment - Misc It’s an experience that the new owner of La Rondinaia will surely share with him. “La Rondinaia is one of the most beautiful and unique villas on the Amalfi Coast and in the whole of Italy,” says Carolyn Delli Santi, the property’s listing agent with Coldwell Banker Immobiliare Cassiano Sabatini & Partners. He began his literary career in 1946 with the publication of his novel Williwaw but did not achieve notoriety until he published his third book The City and The Pillar which cause a minor scandal for its depiction of homosexuality. There are invitations for relaxation, too, in the form of a pool, pool house and sauna, added in 1984 by Vidal himself. Not that the better angels of the 16th president's nature are not frequently on view. From a terrace on one of the villa’s five levels, the view encompasses a new larger terrace and observation post on the second level, and a hillside of terraced gardens that descends to the Amalfi Coast. Each sales representative and broker is responsible for complying with any consumer disclosure laws or regulations. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Beyond literature, Vidal was heavily involved in politics. A study, where Gore Vidal wrote most of his books at Villa Rondinaia. The six-bedroom, seven-bath residence carved into a precipitous cliff face on four levels, spans approximately 10,500 square feet—offering plenty of moments for seclusion. Photography by Robert Emmett Bright and Alessandro De Crignis. “I purchased it from her family in 1950. All rights reserved. A pair of church candlesticks frame the archway of the barrel-vaulted small salon, where an 18th-century Aubusson tapestry, two capriccios of Rome, a work by Parmeo, and Burmese wood panels are displayed. “All my books from Burr on were written longhand in this room at this table,” says the author. You see, Ravello was an illustrious stop on the “grand tour,” the route of intellectuals, artists, writers and musicians such as E.M. Forster, D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, Tennessee Williams, André Gide, Richard Wagner and Leopold Stokowski. In 2012 he was delighted that his old friend Candice Bergen came out of retirement to co-star in the Broadway revival Gore Vidal’s The Best Man. One can see why Vidal (and guests before and after him) gravitated towards the villa. The longtime Los Angeles residence of audaciously provocative bon vivant and erudite public intellectual Gore Vidal, located in the conveniently central, celeb-favored Outpost … He had an aristocrat's bearing - tall, handsome and composed - and an … Now, in an exclusive opportunity, Vidal’s splendid and impenetrable Rondinaia has come onto the market for $22,714,367 USD. I’ve slept in the same bed now for almost 50 years.”. He wrote 23 novels, five plays,… More about Gore Vidal He wrote 23 novels, five plays,… More about Gore Vidal Gore Vidal's Italy home As an adult he looks back on Edgar Rice Burroughs's work and finds the male archetype remains compelling. The ornate dining chairs with ram’s heads “were made at Cinecittà studios for Ben-Hur when I was writing the film,” Vidal says. Concludes Delli Santi: “Even when Gore Vidal was traveling for his work, he would tell people that his mind always turned back to Ravello. His maternal grandfather was Thomas P. Gore, senator from Oklahoma; his father, Eugene Luther Vidal, was director of air commerce under President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945); and he is distantly related to Albert Gore (1948–), vice president of … Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was born into a family long important in American politics on October 3, 1925, in West Point, New York. The site is managed by Michelle Gore, who is married to a third cousin of Vidal’s and who visited Vidal in Italy. Vidal, Huffington wrote, called the area on which his then-home sat, "Magna Graecia." Gore Vidal living in that house on an Italian cliff. His first novel, Williwaw, written when he was 19 years old and serving in the army, appeared in the spring of 1946. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. A study, where Gore Vidal wrote most of his books at Villa Rondinaia. “Gore, I miss you each day,” she writes. © 2021 Condé Nast. He twice sought office—unsuccessfully—as a Democratic Partycandidate, first in 1960 to the United States House of Representatives (for New York), and later i… Villa Rondinaia is priced at $22,714,367 USD, and represented by Coldwell Banker Immobiliare Cassiano Sabatini & Partners. Beyond the interior, private, terraced grounds are traced with serene pathways through overarching lemon and olive groves, chestnut trees, grape arbors and lush, tranquil gardens blanketed by wisteria and bougainvillea. Vidal's grandfather T. P. Gore was a Democratic Senator from Oklahoma who flirted with the Presidency. “Gore Vidal's State of the Union: Nation Essays 1958-2005”, p.3, The Nation Co. LP 13 Copy quote The great unmentionable evil at the center of our culture is monotheism. A sweet coda for a curmudgeon. Check out photos of Vidal and the cliffside home below. His first novel, Williwaw, written when he was 19 years old and serving in the army, appeared in the spring of 1946. Built into a cliff face some 1,000 feet above the Gulf of Salerno, the Mediterranean-style villa, seen from its western side, has arched windows and a minaret-like tiled chimney. Barrel-vaulted ceilings, arched doorways and windows, and long, tiled hallways open to spacious rooms with fireplaces, balconies and patios. Minori sits directly beneath the better-known jetset destination of Ravello, where Mr. Vidal kept a house for more than 30 years. Lincoln by Gore Vidal ISBN 13: 9780394528953 ISBN 10: 0394528956 Hardcover; New York: Random House, May 12, 1984; ISBN-13: 978-0394528953 Vidal was openly bisexual and his novels often dealt with LGBT characters, which was unusual at the time. Gore Vidal (1925–2012) was born at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Among the author’s family photographs is one of his father, Eugene Vidal, standing between Franklin Roosevelt and Henry Wallace. More information can be found by contacting Carolyn Delli Santi +39 393-646-0187 or cdellisanti@coldwellbanker.it.
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