FOOD
LUNCH IN CAPRI Serena Cattaneo Adorno prepares a simple lunch for Mark Grotjahn and his family at a remarkable private house in Capri during the planning of a one-night-only exhibition. Produce is locally sourced and delivered by boat as the house is set at the top of a cliff. Casa Malaparte is difficult to reach. For the courageous guest, it is a dizzy climb of more than 100 steps up from the sea; others must approach on foot, a steady forty-five-minute walk from the Piazzetta in the village of Capri, overlooking the dangerous, passionate ridge and the cliffs. The air is crisp in the early morning, before the sun has warmed up the carnelian-red walls around this secret and precious house. Curzio Malaparte, born Kurt Erich Suckert, was an Italian writer, playwright, editor, photographer, novelist, diplomat, and architect, among other things, and the house he designed for himself may be one of the most striking architectural marvels of the world in private ownership. Malaparte liked Piedmontese Barbera wine, simple trattoria food, and loved red and
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white checkered table linen. He designed a regal kitchen with a window that frames the view so as not to overwhelm. Through the window the sea glistens against the rocks and the breeze brings news and gossip from the village. When we stay at the house, we order produce by phone from Aldo’s small fruit-andvegetable stand at the port. Long, very serious conversations take place over the order—on the quality of the capers, their proper saltiness, the succulence of the cherries, and the sweetness of the tomatoes in contrast with the unusual fresh herbs that have finally arrived on the island. We must have full confidence in Aldo as he is the only source of ingredients we can trust, though he always and invariably forgets at least one item, forcing us to be resourceful.