Caruso, As Seen By Letizia Le Fur

There’s a reason why Renaissance paintings loom large in our collective consciousness. From da Vinci to Botticelli, Michelangelo to Raphael, these works still resonate today — their soft hues and dramatic historical scenes signalling the transition from the Medieval to Early Modern age, a rebirth of an entire outlook.

While Letizia Le Fur is enamoured by these dramatic days of yore, she soon developed her own unique approach. Having first studied painting at the École des Beaux-Arts, she quickly discovered that photography was her medium of choice: an art through which she could channel her diverse creative outlook, which frequently focuses on otherworldly visions of beauty.

Her use of colour helps achieve this magical essence, pushing colour saturation to its limits in creating images that are at once uncanny and dutiful to the scenes they depict. It’s no wonder that Le Fur’s lens feels so keenly attuned to the landscapes and architecture of Caruso, A Belmond Hotel, with the artist’s work often involving a studious engagement with mythology and the ancient world.

Nestled on a limestone mountain overlooking the Amalfi Coast, Caruso is a palace that floats between sea and sky. Originally built in the 11th century by a wealthy family who were shipwrecked on their way to Constantinople, the palace was later discovered and transformed in the Renaissance period, before becoming a luxurious hotel that has been attracting travellers for over a thousand years. Italian nobles, Hollywood stars and contemporary jet-setters alike, craving a cultured Renaissance retreat.

The Amalfi Coast is often represented through clichéd symbols of vespas, lemons and cascading cliffs. Le Fur frames these familiar vistas and objects through angles and a sense of depth that tease out intriguing juxtapositions. Take her image of Amalfi lemons, which are unexpectedly shot in an ancient basin against a stone wall — the vibrancy of the yellow rind in conversation with the time-weathered backdrop. The rushing water seems to represent a bridge between old and new, between real and imagined worlds.

In a 2020 interview with contemporary aesthetics magazine IGNANT, Le Fur spoke of her predilection for “the beauty of plants, the sensuality of a body and the chaos of life” within her compositions. Her vision of Caruso, then, takes this to new heights . She has effortlessly captured the essence of this enchanting residence, transporting it into her dreamlike universe. In her images, the sea and clouds merge into an extraordinary palette of blues and whites, while pristine palaces float in the cerulean heights, and the sun reveals distant lands beyond the Tyrrhenian waters.

Every corner of the space is filled with fragments of ageless beauty, from the suspended gardens that surround the building — inspiring countless poems and musical scores — to the historical frescoes that adorn the walls and ceilings, illuminated by the sun's glowing rays. Le Fur's intimate approach to photography allowed her to capture these elements, finding beauty within simplicity. Her fascination with colour, her interest in cinema and painting, and her almost surrealist sensibility all shine through.

The result is a testament to Caruso’s rich history and captivating atmosphere, inspiring guests to embrace the natural beauty and unique culture of this serene residence. A place where the charm of the ancient meets an unceasing modernity.

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