Bown's Best
Independent reviews of the world's best restaurants, hotels and travel by the acclaimed critic Francis Bown and his team.
Independent reviews of the world's best restaurants, hotels and travel by the acclaimed critic Francis Bown and his team.
We British love Sorrento. And we are right to be captivated by this city near
Naples. It is situated on top of cliffs above a magnificent bay. Its buildings are
handsome, and include a cathedral with a remarkable interior. Its location makes
it easy to make day excursions to the islands of Capri and Ischia. And those with
an interest in the things of Antiquity are delighted by the proximity of Pompeii
and Herculaneum. But there is something else which means I always look forward
to a visit with the keenest anticipation: it has one of the most famous hotels in
the world. The Grand Hotel Vittoria is a wonder. And it has a wonderful manager,
the charming and vivacious Tiziana Laterza.
Marine biologists, for obvious reasons, have always liked Naples. But one of
them – an Englishman – liked it so much that he gave his name to the city’s
sweetest hotel, the Grand Hotel Parker’s. And the hotel is not only sweet: it
contains one of Italy’s finest restaurants, given the gentleman’s Christian name.
The Casa Angelina is deliciously white and outrageously modern. It occupies a spotless villa in one of the very best locations on the Costa Amalfitana. From its elevated position, it provides the guests in its 39 rooms with a panorama which embraces Positano, Capri and a substantial stretch of the most famous coastline in the world. Reached by a vertiginous private road, it has the feeling of a luxurious private retreat. In the mornings I counted just three sounds: the bell of the local church calling the faithful to the divine mysteries, the birds singing to welcome the new day and a distant cockerel proclaiming his masculinity. These days my visits to hotels tend towards the ontological rather than the existential – I now much prefer to be, rather than to do – so this sense of pampered isolation appeals to me very much indeed. I enjoyed hugely my time at the Casa Angelina.
