SORRENTO SERENADE

Living La Dolce Vita at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria

Written by Bridget Williams

Nearly everyone can cite an experience so sublime they are certain the vivid vignette will be permanently etched into their memory, and serve to warm the cockles of the heart whenever something triggers its happy resurgence. Forevermore, the bellowing chorus of 'O Sole Mio' will bring forth goosebumps along with the remembrance of a magical early summer evening at the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento, Italy.

From our balcony of the Caruso Suite (named in honor of famed Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, who spent the last days of his life there in the spring of 1921), we admired the Gulf of Sorrento and beyond to the Bay of Naples, set ablaze from yet another spectacular sunset. Below us on the celebrated Vittoria Terrace–dramatically perched on the cliff’s edge, so that nothing stands between you and endless vistas of sea and sky–well-dressed guests noshed canapés and sipped apéritifs. Suddenly, the clinking of glasses and the sullen siren-song of seagulls was usurped by the sound of music: the aforementioned and much-beloved Neapolitan song, originally penned in 1898. At the urging of Guido Fiorentino, the hotel’s fifth-generation president, Marco Gargano, the front office manager, moved us to tears with his powerful rendition, which drew thunderous applause from everyone on the terrace, who were visibly craning their necks to discern the origin of the dulcet tones.

The ruins of a Roman pool are visible near the present day version at Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria.

Since 1834, the Fiorentino family has been providing once-in-a-lifetime experiences in what is (in my humble opinion) one of the most magical regions in Italy. There is a distinct sense of arrival once you leave the bustling city center at Piazza Tasso in Sorrento (as much a living and breathing city as a tourist destination), and pass through the Art Nouveau entrance gate. A long allée of trees, some with sinewy branches drooping from their burden of ripe citrus fruits, terminates at the stately hotel.

The three-building layout of the hotel is most discernable from the water. Photo by Bridget Williams

Surrounded by five-acres of lushly manicured gardens, the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria is comprised of a trio of distinct interconnected buildings resting atop Roman ruins (purported to be a villa belonging to Emperor Augustus). The hotel’s original building, Vittoria, was constructed in 1834 to accommodate Grand Tour travelers; it was the first modern hotel in the area and offered private bathrooms, a link to the harbor via a funicular railway created in a Roman tunnel, and electric lighting. Constructed in the second half of the 19th century and calling to mind a Swiss chalet, the design of the La Favorita building is an homage to Princess Maria Sofia of Wittelsbach, who married Francesco II of Borbone in 1858. It became known as Favorita after Maria Sofia’s sister, Elisabeth, the Empress of Austria (better known as Sissi), deemed it her favorite wing of the hotel.

Inside, public and private spaces demonstrate the familiar hallmarks of opulent elegance common among beloved grand hotels throughout Europe: wood parquet and gleaming marble floors; paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries; fine furnishings from the Louis XVI, Arts and Crafts, Victorian and Biedermeier eras; finely executed frescoes and friezes; and ornate tapestries. The air may seem rarified, but the aura is much more relaxed. In the Art Nouveau-style Winter Garden for instance, you can sit on chairs designed by famed Italian architect Ernesto Basile (1857-1932). The same chairs can be found on display in the Musée D’Orsay in Paris, where they most definitely may not be sat upon.

Deluxe Suite

My room, No. 114, boasted a massive terrace with a balustrade overlooking the water. Hand-painted walls and a perfect hodgepodge of antique furnishings lent the impression that I was lodging at the home of an affluent, eclectic nonna rather than a hotel, which is a purposeful intent. “When guests arrive, there is a strong feeling of being welcomed into a family home, because we treat each salon and bedroom as if it were a room in a house,” said Fiorentino, an affable and approachable host who took the reins of the family business in 2010. Since then, he has set forth on an ambitious plan to further elevate the property’s stature by obtaining a Michelin star, adding a new poolside restaurant and champagne bar, reducing the number of hotel rooms from 97 to 84, adding serviced garden apartments for extended stays, and converting a 19th-century greenhouse on the property into La Serra Spa.

The Winter Garden

Of the 84 rooms, 42 are suites, with six of those being one-of-a-kind accommodations. The Caruso Suite has been maintained in the style of the 1920s, and retains Caruso’s piano, photographs, and writing board. Other suites are either named for famous guests– Princess Margaret, Luciano Pavarotti, and Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla–or have had famous guests (Sophia Loren stayed in the Aurora Junior Suite in 1984 while filming Qualcosa di Biondo).

While posh enough for a princess, the true heart and soul of the property is its top-notch staff. Serving as a figurehead of sorts is head concierge Antonio Galano, who, although he doesn’t look it, has been employed by the hotel for forty years. His friendly “ciao Bella” sendoff as I left for my excursions each day never failed to put a little extra pep in my step.

The dining experience at Excelsior Vittoria is a thing of beauty, beginning with breakfast, which is served American buffet-style beneath a 19th-century frescoed ceiling, which makes you feel as though you are dining in the nave of a basilica. You can enjoy pizza perfection poolside at The Orangerie bar and restaurant (open April-October). At night, the spot transforms into a chic tapas-style dining concept with specialty cocktails and an energetic soundtrack.

Vittoria breakfast room

At Terrazza Bosquet, the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant (awarded in 2014), the service is as polished as the gleaming harlequin-tiled marble floors. A prime example of their ability to elevate the expected to the extraordinary is the “white glove” bread service. Resembling a giant jewelry box on wheels, the mirrored lid of the bread box is opened to reveal an arrangement to rival a still-life masterpiece. There is a discernable playfulness interwoven throughout the tasting menu, featuring dishes with names like La Dolce Vita (marinated local fish with a vegetable bouquet) and Childhood Memories (a confection of chocolate sponge cake, orange cremoso, and fleur de sel inspired by the chef’s favorite childhood dessert).

Each kitchen on property utilizes produce and citrus fruit grown on-site, and the harvest from the garden’s grove of olive trees allows for the production of proprietary olive oil. Perfect wine pairings are culled from a tufa stone cellar with a 9,500-bottle capacity; an opening in the cellar floor that is covered with Plexiglass provides a peek down into an ancient Roman well.

Well-preserved frescos in the Villa of the Mysteries, Pompeii

Sorrento is an ideal base from which to explore the region’s many sights: bucolic countryside to the south, the Amalfi Coast to the east, Pompeii and Naples to the north, and Capri offshore. The hotel’s concierge team is constantly striving to be innovators in providing unique experiences. A newly added tour of Naples, based on the books of Elena Ferrante, brings the pages of her hugely popular novels to life. Pompeii is a history and architecture buff’s dream; the scale of the ruins, the brilliant frescoes, mosaic masterpieces, and bodies frozen in casts of ash are indelible sights.

A monumental bronze by Igor Mitoraj on display among the ruins in Pompeii

Skip the traffic along the circuitous and clogged two-lane road that lines the Amalfi coastline and explore by water; the hotel maintains several motorboats for private charter to engage in sightseeing, diving, and snorkeling activities. Having experienced the crush of tourists inching up and down the narrow corridors in Positano, I much prefer the placid way the terraced buildings appear from the water. Be sure to stop for lunch at Maria Grazia in Nerano (a smaller and less touristy town than Positano); it has been one of Guido Fiorentino’s favorite restaurants since childhood. Extolled for their pasta with zucchini, Maria Grazia’s house-made limoncello is among the best I’ve sampled. If summer had a flavor, it would be their dessert of freshly-picked wild strawberries simply dressed with a dollop of whipped cream.

Exploring Sorrento is as easy as ducking into the narrow cobblestone alleyways that splay off of Centro Storico (historic center) in search of souvenir treasures, most notably examples of marquetry that the town is known for. Other sites of interest include the Museum Correale di Terranova for a rich assortment of 16th-19th century Neapolitan art and crafts; the Musei Bottega della Tarsia Lignea, an 18th-century palace with frescoes and a collection of marquetry and art representative of the era; and, Basilica di Sant’ Antionio, the oldest church in town, dating to the 11th century. There are also a number of hiking trails on Mount Faito, which rewards trekkers with spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Maria Grazia restaurant in Nerano

The fact that the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria has been family-owned from its inception imparts a special sense of place to what is already a very special place. Having your name added to their registry vaunts to the ranks of an esteemed list of guests who have reveled in the mystique of this historic hotel for more than 180 years.