Aielli & Benevento

Jessica Simpson was found celebrating her 30th birthday in July on the Italian island of Capri with her new boyfriend ex-NFL player Eric Johnson.  Hollywood watchers will recall it was 2005 when Jessica Simpson and then husband Nick Lachey took an October holiday in northern Italy.  Capri is know for its history as a haven for VIPs and celebrities and also home to Italy’s rich and famous.  In the latter half of the 19th century, Capri became a popular resort for European artists, writers and other celebrities. John Singer Sargent and Frank Hyde are among the prominent artists who stayed on the island around the late 1870s. Sargent is known for his series of portraits featuring local model Rosina Ferrara.

If you go:

Afternoon Cocktails?  Il Riccio Beach Club & Bar: Tucked between the rock and the sea, just a few steps away from the famed Blue Grotto, one comes across Il Riccio, the new restaurant and beach club of the Capri Palace Hotel & Spa. After extensive refurbishments of the historic Add’O Riccio, the restaurant once cherished by Aristotele Onassis, the new Riccio’s cuisine and décor are a tribute to the Mediterranean.info@ristoranteilriccio.com; Tel # +39 0818371380. The restaurant is open every day for lunch from 12.00pm to 4pm; and for dinner from Thursdays to Sundays from 8pm to 11pm.Via Gradola, 4-6 Località Grotta Azzurra 80071 ANACAPRI.

Private cruising…Wish to hire a private boat and skipper to whisk you around the emerald isle? Just call Aielli & Benevento.  We have a special deal with private hire Capri Boats in the island’s main marina. www.capritime.com.

The Italian Peninsula offers so much in terms of art, architecture, varied cuisines or diverse landscape.  From majestic mountains to spectacular coastlines, Italy is a country one can visit many times over and still be stimulated by new sights.

For those long summer days, however, we propose three favorite spots, every A&B client seems to claim they plan to visit a second time!  To the serious traveler, these destinations should be no surprise:

• Italian Lakes
• Tuscany
• Amalfi Adventure

To learn more or to receive a no-obligation, free consult, just call us: +1.212.695.1511

Amalfi Adventure is a turnkey touring experience created for busy couples who seek that great anniversary trip. Designed by Aielli & Benevento, this touring experience is tailored 100% to the traveler so there are no fixed departure dates. Clients also choose among a variety of luxury hotel properties.  We handle every trip detail… A week before departure, the client will receive a detailed, daily travel schedule outlining all trip contacts /reservations/ arrangements, ensuring a worry-free, hassle-free travel experience.

What’s included*:

• Five star suite accommodations …the finest hotels in Amalfi, Ravello or Positano.
• Savor Michelin class dining experiences at coastal trattorias.
• Enjoy breath-taking private drives on Amalfi’s sun-drenched cliffs.
• Tour Naples’ Palazzo Reale, Castel Nuovo, Capodimonte and Duomo
• Explore the hidden beaches and unique seaside towns of Italy’s sublime coast.
• Be guided by an expert through Praiano, Altrani and Sorrento.
• Walk the ancient ruins of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Paestum.
• Relax on an excursion boat across the Gulf of Napoli; Visit the fabled Isles of Capri, bucolic Ischia or unspoiled Procida.

Private Guides/ Optional Services… customized IPODs, private photographer, personal masseuse.
 Unlike recommendations from hotel concierges (whom invariably pick their friends based on a “business relationship”), we choose guides solely on the basis of reputation, years of experience and proven excellence.   Aielli & Benevento offers its touring guest a wide range of support services including passport assistance; GSM phone rental, customized IPODs, private photographer, personal masseuse, etc.

> Email us for touring details @ info@aiellli-benevento.it .

With no shortage of views of the and living areas that join a balcony or terrace, the “Suite Life” can be truly savored at one of Amalfi’s most beautiful hotels: the Santa Caterina.  With its tiled floors in colorful Majolica and antiques, all of their spacious Suites are equipped with luxurious Jacuzzi baths in which to enjoy moments of total peace and relaxation. If you settle for a standard deluxe you’ll still enjoy air conditioning, mini-bar, satellite TV, movie channels, and the balcony to die for.

Palazzo Sasso is a 12th century peach-colored Italian villa that was built 1000 feet above the Mediterranean on a hilltop in Ravello, a medieval village on Italy’s spectacular Amalfi coast. This five-star hotel with two-star Michelin dining opened in 1997. The interiors have vaulted ceilings, arched windows, balconies and a creamy Easter-egg palette. Rooms have handmade Vietri tiles, antique carpets and furniture from the XVIII and XIX centuries. Make sure you get a room with a view. All the suites face the sea; we recommend Belvedere, Infinito and Horizonte, which have their own terraces.

Chef Pino Lavarra trained from a young age in Italy, Germany, Monaco, England (with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saison) and Malaysia. He brings international experience and flair to his cooking at Palazzo Sasso.  The restaurant is closed from the November to March, as is the hotel. Rossellini’s is open for dinner only. Again, the view is the thing: ask for a cliff-side table that has a good sightline to the fishing boats 1,000 feet below.

The Palazzo’s white-stucco spa with blue tiled water features has a solarium, and a small lawn – for exercise classes or lounging – overlooks the sea. There is a heated outdoor swimming pool as well, and a terraced seaside bathing area 15 minutes away.  The formally-trained but warm staff is abundant: two employees per room. When you get thirsty, even by the pool, chances are your drinks will be delivered on a silver tray by a young waiter in a white jacket.  Getting married? They can accommodate 70 of your nearest and dearest.

Palazzo Sasso:  Via San Giovanni del Toro, 28; Tel#: 89-818181 or 800-225-4255; www.palazzosasso.com (32 rooms include 11 suites)

Conde Nast’s Traveler magazine recently released its 2009 readers choice survey and Italy’s luxury hotels are everywhere to be found.  Starting with the #1 hotel on the Traveler list is the mysterious and evocative, cliff defying Il San Pietro on the outskirts of Positano.  San Pietro was followed by #2 ranked  Il Pelicano in Porto Ecole (Tuscany).  The Italian Peninsula’s dominance over England, France and Spain in the accommodation category was evident by its ranking 4 out of Europe’s top ten hotels.   Rounding out the list was the new Four Seasons in Firenze (ranked # 7) and the Four Seasons Hotel Milano ( ranked #10)  in the city of the same name.In a separate category–Europe’s Small Hotels– Italian hotels demonstrated equal popularity.  Of the top ten small hotels, Traveler readers chose 4 properties.  The chosen ones were: La Scalinatella in Capri (ranked #1); Villa Feltrinelli on Lake Garda (ranked # 3); Palazzo Sasso atop Ravello on the Amalfi Coast (ranked #4) and Villa San Michele overlooking Florence (ranked #7).No other country came to matching Italy surfeit of impressive high end hotels.  (Although we would suggest locations like Lago di Garda and the Amalfi coast give these selections a substantial advantage.

Amalfi is filled with rocky cliffs, narrow roads and lemon trees. There are also many wonderful restaurants where the focus, as one would expect, is mostly on the “fruita de mare”.  

Here are ten great choices when you next find your self on the Amalfi Coast.

> TAVERNA DEL CAPITANO

Marina di Cantone, on the road from Punta Campanella to Positano (Tel #: 081 808 1028).  The Taverna del Capitano is one of the best restaurants on the Amalfi coast. It is located on the ground floor of an unassuming hotel above the beach. Serves delicious seafood and exceptional desserts. Closed Mondays in winter and most of January and February. If you haggle down by the quay at Positano, you can arrange for a boat to take you there.

> LA CAMBUSA

Positano  (Tel #: 089 875 432).  Down by the main beach, in the shadow of the church dome, there is a handful of bars and restaurants including La Cambusa. Open all year.

> LO GUARRACINO

Positano  (Tel #: 089 875 794).   Lo Guarracino is situated along the path that winds around the headland, above the ferry ticket booths to the Spiaggia Fornillo, the best of the town’s two beaches. Serves simple, honest seafood with prices to match and is a good place to watch the sun set. Closed Tuesdays and Christmas to Easter.

> LA CARAVELLA

Via Matteo Camera 12, Amalfi (Tel #: 089 871 029).  Located on the seaward side of town, above the remains of an old arsenal, La Caravella serves excellent seafood and a mouthwatering panna cotta dessert with lemon marmalade topping. Closed Tuesdays and the entire month of November.

> A PARANZA

Traversa Dragone 2, Atrani (Tel #: 089 871 840).  A great place for fresh seafood, straight off the boat, cooked in a variety of simple but delicious ways. The seafood antipasti alone would justify the visit. Closed Tuesdays.

> CUMPA COSIMO

Via Roma 44, Ravello (Tel #: 089 857 156). A bustling trattoria not far from the Duomo. It is somewhere where you can enjoy a fishless meal, not always easy around these parts. Closed Mondays in winter.

> ROSSELLINI’S

Palazzo Sasso Hotel, Ravello.  This world-class restaurant was built around Calabrian chef Antonio Genovese’s concept of taking relatively simple dishes, such as insalata di pane (bread salad), and recasting them with new ingredients. Pino Lavarra, the former executive chef at the London Hyatt Carlton’s restaurant Grissini, took over in summer 2001.

> PALAZZO DELLA MARRA

Via della Marra 7-9, Ravello (Tel #: 089 858 302).  Housed in a restored 12th-century villa below the main piazza, the restaurant does its best to offer a creative alternative – based on fresh local produce – to the standard Amalfi Coast seafood experience. The wine list is strong on reasonably priced Campanian wines.

> L’ARSENALE

Via San Giovanni a Mare 20, Minori (Tel #: 089 851 418).  Minori is connected to Ravello by ancient steps that descend past some fine old churches. This tiny place is set back from the main road just before the beach and is a good stop off point on your climb back to Ravello. Its rendition of the local pasta specialty – scialatielli ai frutti di mare (thick, hand-made spaghetti with seafood) – is well-near perfect. Closed Thursdays in winter.

 > ACQUAPAZZA

Corso Garibaldi 36, Cetara (Tel #: 089 261 606).   Acquapazza restaurant is situated in the pretty fishing village of Cetera. Preserved fish is the local specialty, especially tuna in oil and anchovies, which are salted in ceramic pots with weighted tops. It is also probably the only place in the world where you can still find the famed Roman fish sauce garum (referred to by the locals as colatura di alici), which is today produced in the late autumn in minute quantities, strictly for home consumption. Closed Mondays in winter.

As the proprietor of Positano’s most chic hotel (Le Sirenuse) Franco Sersale knows a thing or two what’s good and not so good on Italy’s sun drenched on the Amalfi Coast.  So when Travel & Leisure sought the opinion of the Le Sirenuse proprietor he was very forthcoming about his favorite haunts.  

In no particular order Sersale recommends…

> Don Alfonso … for “Neapolitan cooking with nouvelle cuisine…” (Routinely recognized as the best of the Amalfi coast … in Sant’ Agata.

> Next 2 … as a place for a lively but manageable atmosphere…

> Lo Scoglio a Marina del Cantone  (It’s a 30-minute boat ride from Positano and has a deck that stretches right into the sea.  And the menu is full of delicious seafood dishes that incorporate octopus, squid and swordfish.) Tel#: 081 999 529.

> La Conca del Sogno a Recommone

Conca del Sogno means Bay of the dreams and both the panoramic position as well as the food and service lives up to name. Try the different antipasti of the sea cold and warm, like small fish, small squids, totani e patate (local squid and potatoes) and so on. Tel #:089 871384. 

When one thinks of the Amalfi Coast, one usually focuses on Positano or Amalfi itself. Lesser known but never less, is Ravello, sitting high on a hill off the coast. Arguably, the third jewel in this coastal crown. With views that no place on the earth can rival, Ravello has charm, character and three five star hotels to boot! In addition, this little village’s summer music festival continues to grow in popularity. If you go, be sure to consider, the Hotel Caruso, Palazzo Sasso or Hotel Palumbo…you will not be disappointed.