Stunning mini-moon destinations in Italy
Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, Sorrento, Italy
Perfect for a short break, the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria is just an hour’s drive from Naples. This 188-year-old hotel sits on the clifftops of the Amalfi coastline and was built on the ancient foundations of a villa designed for Emperor Augustus. Popular among the stars, the hotel has a Michelin-starred restaurant with breathtaking views over the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius, a gorgeous boutique spa and fascinating history. Guests can swim in the Mediterranean sunshine, sail around the Le Galli islands where the Sirens tempted Ulysses, lunch at ‘Mariagrazia’ a secret Italian hideout at Marina del Cantone and stop off to bathe in the thermal springs of Ischia, the island of artists.
Sorrento is one of Italy's most famous resort towns. The centre of the city is Piazza Tasso, which is full of energy and people at all hours. Corso Italia is lined with cafes, restaurants and shops, but the entire historic centre has life, sights and eateries tucked away in the side streets.
L’Albereta is beautifully set in the rose-bowered vineyards of Franciacorta and the alpine foothills between the Po valley and the southern shore of Lake Iseo. A stone’s throw from the Bellavista winery and home to some of Italy’s finest sparkling wine, L’Albereta is a stunning ivy-masked villa, which oozes Italian glamour. Housing the only Chenot Espace Spa in Italy, L’Albereta has a highly qualified team of over 30 professionals, including doctors, dietitians and osteopaths, ready to help guests restore their health and regain lost vital energy.
L’Albereta is the perfect tonic to city life – just 30 minutes drive from Milan, it is exclusive with 57 rooms and suites and surrounded by some of Italy’s most breathtaking scenery. The hotel’s main restaurant, Leonefelice Vista Lago, overlooks Lake Iseo and serves a selection of typical Italian and regional dishes. Franciacorta is an area renowned for the production of sparkling wines of the same name. Take a tour and enjoy a tasting at the Bellavista and Contadi Castaldi wineries, which belong to the family who owns L’Albereta. The nearby Lake Iseo is one of the lesser-known Northern Italian lakes, still pretty much undiscovered by British travellers.
The new five-star Ca’ di Dio hotel, set on the Riva Ca’ di Dio and overlooking the iconic lagoon, is just a short distance from Piazza San Marco and is one of Venice’s most exciting recent additions. Set in a building with a fascinating history, which dates to 1272, it has welcomed Crusaders, pilgrims and tourists for eight centuries.
The Patricia Urquiola-designed hotel is in a privileged position, at the entrance to the Arsenale area, known as the Contemporary Art District of Venice and the setting for the iconic Biennale, which is running until 27 November 2022. Access to the hotel from the side canal entrance allows for direct docking for an unforgettable arrival in style! The hotel features many places for guests to relax whilst staying in Venice; two internal courtyards are home to the hotel’s Alchemia Bar and Essentia Restaurant during the summer months, and the indoor-outdoor Vero restaurant looks onto the lagoon. The cuisine is inspired by typical Venetian dishes, revisited with a modern touch yet respecting the seasonality of the ingredients, thanks to the hotel’s vegetable garden in a third internal courtyard.
Hotel Vannucci’s history is intertwined in the romance between King Vittorio Emanuele II and Rosa Vercellana, ‘The Pearl of Umbria,’ and their son, Vittoria Spinola. Restored and renovated since its completion in 1907, the 30-room boutique hotel overlooks the beautiful medieval Citta della Pieve. Etruscans and Romans settled here along with Renaissance artist Pietro Vannucci, better known as ‘Il Perugino’, whose most famous paintings are hung throughout the town.
Just 45 minutes from Perugia, Hotel Vannucci is equidistant from Rome and Florence and an easy drive from some of the region’s gems. Citta della Pieve is noted for its blending of Umbrian and Tuscan cuisine, using the fruits of the forest like truffles and porcini mushrooms, handmade pasta, and exactingly cured meats for which Umbria is famous. The area is noted for the cultivation of saffron, harvested by hand from crocus blossoms.
