the interview
Noon, January 12, 2023 – 09:26
He has lived at the Majestic for seven years: “After all, there are illustrious precedents, including famous writers. I feel good here, I am cared for and spoiled. And I wake up happy
by Mirella Armiero
Sergio Cappelli in the hall of the hotel where he is staying
Of course you have to be able to afford it. Living in a hotel is not for everyone or for all budgets. However, it remains a one-time choice, because with a certain income one could live comfortably in a large house, with waiters and service staff. Instead, there are those who want a four-star hotel room at home, but without too many frills and space. Such is the case of Sergio Cappelli, the eccentric and elegant Neapolitan notary, dandy of our time, also known as Mr. Kind for his activity as a benefactor, determined to make art and culture known and to transmit beauty. That is why Cappelli often raffles theater tickets, concerts and exhibitions and gives them away to young people in particular. The notary has been living at the Majestic, right in the center, for seven years, after leaving a large apartment in Chiaia where he housed a beautiful collection of contemporary art.
Cappelli, have you ever done penance? Don’t you miss your home?
“No, I’ve lived here for seven years and I’m fine. When friends and acquaintances urge me to find somewhere else to live, I always say no. I wake up happy at the Majestic».
Yet it comes from a stately home where he gave memorable parties…
«I was happy in this house, but in life there are different seasons, now something has changed, seven years ago I was looking for a more calming situation, a cave. I actually thought it was a temporary choice, but I liked it so much that I never changed.”
How is everyday life in the hotel?
«I am cared for and pampered, I have an excellent relationship with all the staff, when I come back I find the night porter to entertain me… I know I could have the same services in my own home, but here I have feel like a free man».
Don’t you think the choice is a bit too original?
“In fact, there were other examples in my family. A brother of my father lived in the Paradiso in Via Catullo in the 1970s…».
Of course, not everyone can afford it.
“I understand, but it’s also true that I don’t pay any bills here, don’t have to worry about maintenance and repairs, in short, I reduce certain costs”.
Isn’t a hotel room tight for you?
“I like this intimate dimension. I had an operation last year and the doctor was reluctant to send me back to the hotel. Instead, it was an excellent thing, I was looked after perfectly.”
How did you come up with the idea of living here?
“It was a coincidence. But I’ve always been fascinated by who lived in the hotel. In Milan, I stayed at the Grand Hotel et de Milan, where Giuseppe Verdi lived for twenty years. He even died there and it is said that when he was ill, the Milanese covered the streets with hay to muffle the sound of horses’ hooves and not to disturb the master. It may be a legend, but it’s fascinating. James Joyce also lived in a hotel in Trieste for a long time. And Joyce himself met Proust in Paris at a hotel called the Majestic, like this one in Naples. In short, I’m not exactly a weirdo, I come from an illustrious background! Hotels have great stories, if you can understand their secrets it’s a really fascinating world».
There is a certain coming and going in the hotel…do you stay away from it?
“Sometimes the customers fascinate me. I have breakfast in my room, but then I stop at the bar for a coffee and a little study of the diverse humanity that passes through here».
But why Majestic?
«There is a very efficient staff, starting with Mr. Giuseppe. Then I’m in the middle of the city. After all, the building was designed by architect Gino Aveta in 1957, the year I was born. It was written in the stars.”
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January 12, 2023 | 09:26
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