This month we take a look at some gorgeous hotels in Italy that offer not only beautiful surroundings and personalised service, but also exquisite dining facilities

FURORE INN RESORT – FURORE, AMALFI COAST
…perfect romantic hideaway

THE FURORE INN RESORT is a luxury residence set in some of Italy’s most stunning countryside. Imagine a secluded resort, nested against a steep, craggy mountainside and apparently suspended between sky and sea, with gardens and swimming pools that seem to plunge right into the Mediterranean. It’s already the perfect romantic hideaway (as a number of Hollywood stars already know!), but the hotel also avails of two restaurants, Italian Touch and La Volpe Pescatrice, (The Fishing Vixen), the former, an exclusive setting for fine dining, the latter, the ideal place to enjoy the chef’s modern interpretations of local traditional recipes.
Both restaurants overlook the sea and La Volpe Pescatrice has an open air terrace where it is possible to enjoy meals outside during the warmer summer months. Skilled Chef Antonio Sorrentino also offers cooking lessons, and when you feel you’ve overindulged, head for the resort’s fabulous spa, where you can enjoy their signature full body massage with essence of local Amalfi lemons, or specialized body treatments with straw, wine or even chocolate!
Tel: (+39) 089 8304711 Web: www.furoreinn.it

...exclusive setting for fine dining
VILLA CRESPI – ORTA SAN GIULIO, PIEMONTE
...finest Italian cuisine

VILLA CRESPI is the type of place that makes you believe in fairy tales. A Moorish style residence built in 1879, it represents an Italian cotton merchant’s ‘Victorian folly’, complete with striking minaret and a large well tended park that slopes down to the beautiful Lago D’Orta, one of the most picturesque lakes in Italy. It is situated in the heart of fine wine-producing country and is close to the Sacro Monte, declared a UNESCO Human Heritage site, making this spot unique both for its beauty and its gastronomy – perfect for passionate newlyweds.
Villa Crespi’s rooms offer maximum opportunities for romance with their four poster beds, beautiful 18th and 19th-century furniture, frescoed ceilings, and elegant marble bathrooms with whirlpool bathtubs. Each has its own personality, and offers a taste of the regal atmosphere that attracted the various noblemen who slept here throughout the centuries. But at the heart of this splendid structure is two star Michelin Chef Antonio Cannavacciuolo’s restaurant where guests can abandon themselves to some of the finest cuisine Italy has to offer, accompanied by an impressive choice of Italian, French and international wines.
Tel: (+39) 0322 911902 Web: www.villacrespi.it

PALAZZO FAILLA – MODICA, SICILY
...Sicilian nobleman’s residence

IMMERSED in the history and antique traditions of Sicily, the beautiful 4-star Palazzo Failla is the ideal base for visiting Modica, a town that has charmed travellers and poets for centuries, and that today is still one of Sicily’s most precious ‘pearls’. Situated in Upper Modica, all of the town’s important monuments can be visited on foot.
The inside of the palazzo retains its original atmosphere of Sicilian nobleman’s residence: from the use of materials like beautiful ceramic floor tiles and wrought iron to hand painted ceramics and period furniture, everything is designed to envelope guests in a warm and elegant atmosphere.
Each room is unique, with its own colour scheme, and is decorated with beautiful ceramic tiles, period furniture, some with liberty lamps, and walls and ceilings with hand painted frescos. And in the hotel’s Gazza Ladra restaurant, young Michelin star Chef Accursio Craparo works his magic, giving traditional Sicilian dishes his own unique twist.
Tel:(+39) 0932 941059 Web: www.palazzofailla.it

LA MERIDIANA – GARLENDA, LIGURIA
...passion for good food

HALFWAY between Monte Carlo and Portofino, surrounded by the greens of the Garlenda Golf Club and only a few kilometres from the beach at Alassio, lies the enchanting La Meridiana, a Relais & Châteaux member since 1979. It is a quiet country residence where couples can relax and enjoy a true taste of Ligurian lifestyle against a backdrop of hillsides, olive groves, and with the pleasant aroma of myrtle and broom in the air.
Part of the hotel’s charm lies in the welcome extended by Edmondo Segre and his family, and in their ability to make guests feel like long lost friends. In rooms and suites, sophisticated taste, elegance and technology are combined to offer guests a service that is comprehensive but discreet. However, it is in the hotel’s restaurant, Il Rosmarino that Segre’s passion for good food and wine is revealed, with truly divine Ligurian specialties on offer, accompanied by a seriously comprehensive wine list that is constantly updated, allowing guests to choose from both well-established and up and coming producers.
Tel: (+39) 0182 580271 Web: www.lameridianaresort.com

LE CASE, LE MARCHE – MACERATA, LE MARCHE
...spectacular indoor pool

SITUATED in an attractively renovated convent, Le Case is immersed in the lush green countryside of Le Marche, close to many of the region’s favourite attractions. Less than 30 minutes away you’ll be able to visit the beautiful Riviera of Monte Conero or the Sibillini National Park, and take in the Romanesque abbeys of San Claudio and Santa Maria Piè di Chienti.
Accommodations at Le Case are warm, welcoming and tastefully furnished. There is a spectacular indoor pool and spa built in neoclassical style, where guests can enjoy a variety of treatments or simply soak up the beautiful views of the grounds from the impressive plate glass windows.
The atmosphere of the hotel’s restaurant, Enoteca Le Case, is elegant and welcoming and staff are skilled, affable and eager to please. The restaurant’s cuisine is based on local produce: meat and game from the inland areas; a judicious selection of fish from the nearby Adriatic; and locally produced vegetables and herbs, many of which are actually grown on the property. And as the name suggests, one of the stars of the show here is the wine: a visit to the wine cellar is recommended.
Tel: (+39) 0733 264762
Web: www.ristorantelecase.it