Dolce vita redefined at Rapallo's Grand Hotel Bristol
Located on the Italian Riviera just south of Genoa and sandwiched between Cinque Terre and Portofino, Rapallo maintains its below-the-radar independence with an admirable amount of what the Italians call sprezzatura -- and the appeal for travelers lies in the town's low-key profile.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Rapallo was an essential part of the Grand Tour and a cultural haven for European literati, who found a refuge in the region's mild Mediterranean winters. Rapallo's aesthetic appeal caught the notice of the Costas, a family of Corsican entrepreneurs who built the Grand Hotel Bristol in 1904.
The rooftop restaurant Le Cupole offers a multicourse Ligurian menu and panoramic vistas. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort
Tucked into a verdant hillside, the historical property is a pink-and-white confection of art nouveau architecture with an expansive pool deck overlooking the cerulean sea.
According to general manager Riccardo Bortolotti, the Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort celebrates "dolce vita 2.0," which he describes as a multisensory guest experience that includes music, fragrance and taste as well as the natural beauty of the surrounding sea.
"The Ligurian Riviera exemplifies the dolce vita lifestyle," Bortolotti said. "It's a timeless concept that focuses on the joy of simple pleasures."
Duly informed, I ordered an Aperol spritz on the hotel's panoramic terrace La Veranda and was soon rewarded with a rose-tinged sunset. A member of SLH, the Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort is a part of R Collection Hotels, a group of 10 independent properties in Italy that has been owned by the same Italian family for three generations.
Completely renovated in 2023, the five-star hotel now offers 80 rooms and suites and the largest hotel spa in the Liguria region. Guests have access to four dining options, including a poolside pizzeria and a Michelin-listed restaurant, as well as a private beach club with a seafood restaurant.
Marina di Bardi Beach Club offers a private beach and various watersports and activities. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort
Out on the town
Though the concept of dolce vita has evolved, there's no question that Rapallo honors the implied promise of a sweet life of sensory pleasures. On a guided food tour, I wandered the town's historic center, which curls around the waterfront like a crescent pastry. Rapallo's narrow pedestrian streets are known as caruggi and are lined with frescoed houses, wall niches and ancient portals as well as numerous bottegas and pasticcerias.
Guido Porrati is the owner of ParlaComeMangi, a gastronomic emporium with a name that translates to "speak like you eat." As Porrati explained, the motto is a Ligurian concept that embraces authenticity in food and language -- and one which I adopted easily as Porrati fed me Ligurian favorites such as focaccia al formaggio, pansoti di noci and pesto alla Genovese.
The sole surviving gate of Rapallo's ancient walled village is Porto delle Saline, which leads from the Old Town out to the waterfront, where the 16th century fortress Castello di Rapallo stands as a symbol of the city's fortitude across the centuries. Rapallo's ferry terminal offers direct service to Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure and San Fruttuoso.
For travelers who seek an aerial perspective on the surrounding landscape, Liguria's only cable car scales the forested hills for a seven-minute journey to the Sanctuary of Montallegro, where the entire Gulf of Tigullio is revealed from an altitude of 2,000 feet.
The two-level Erre Spa is the largest hotel spa in the Liguria region. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort
Spa rejuvenation
The Grand Hotel Bristol Spa Resort is located on Via Aurelia Orientale within sight of a vestige of the ancient Via Aurelia that connected Rome with the Tyrrhenian coast.
The hotel's two-level Erre Spa is a modern-day equivalent of Roman thermae with a circuit of hydrotherapy experiences and a relaxing tea lounge. Rejuvenated, I wandered through the hotel's Nuar Gallery and its collection of contemporary art before heading upstairs to dinner at the Michelin-listed Le Cupole. Flanked by the hotel's two cupolas, Le Cupole offers breathtaking vistas from its terrace and a multicourse Ligurian menu with wine pairings.
For a post-prandial digestif, there's the hotel's Campari-red Silk Lounge Bar, named for the nearby silk factories that are still in operation.
Guest experiences beyond the hotel's landscaped grounds include private boat tours to Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino as well as sunset cruises, Vespa tours and trekking trails in Cinque Terre.
The hotel's private beach is located at Marina di Bardi Beach Club, which offers various watersports and activities.
• • •
The Grand Hotel Bristol's sister property Bianca Relais, just north of Milan, offers a bucolic weekend getaway on the shores of Lake Annone. Photo Credit: Courtesy of R Collection Hotels
For guests seeking a bucolic weekend retreat, the hotel's new sister property, Bianca Relais, is a serene sanctuary on the shores of Lake Annone, slightly north of Milan.
The sleek and contemporary boutique hotel features 10 rooms and a lakeside restaurant where dolce vita is served amid a 4-acre natural setting surrounded by olive groves and orchards in the foothills of the Alps.
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an hour ago
- Travel + Leisure
I'm a Travel Writer From Rome, and Wearing These 10 Things in Italy Makes You Look Like a Tourist Without Fail
Growing up in Rome, I've naturally spent a lot of time around tourists. After all, the Eternal City is one of the world's most popular cities, and I've gotten used to sharing my home with the millions who visit it every year. That said, it's easy to spot the first-timers when I'm out and about, as they're usually making the same packing mistakes over and over again. While every Italian city is unique in its own ways, there are a couple of ways to avoid being marked as a tourist on your next trip to sample La Dolce Vita. To help you prepare for your next trip to the boot-shaped country, whether it's to Rome or elsewhere, I've compiled a short list of the 10 things not to pack, and what to bring instead to ensure a safe, comfortable, and memorable trip. Luckily for your vacation budget, these travel writer-approved picks start at just $28. Buon viaggio ! Wearing oversized backpacks is a big no-no in Italy. Aside from being uncomfortable (particularly in the scorching months), it also makes you a bigger target for potential pickpockets since locals don't typically wear them. Plus, some monuments like the Vatican Museums don't allow larger bags inside. I love a good and compact tote bag, especially in the summer, and this affordable yet chic option from Amazon strikes the right balance between fashion and function. It's mini, but don't let that fool you. It features a removable and adjustable crossbody strap, an external pocket, an internal zippered pocket, and two internal slip pockets that can hold all your essentials, even a small water bottle, which can be refilled at one of Rome's nearly 2,500 free water fountains. Best of all, its main compartment is zippered, which is great for warding off pickpockets on public transport and outdoor dining hotspots in major cities like Rome. It's pretty common in the United States to wear shirts repping your favorite team, university, or hometown, but this isn't exactly common in Italy, with the exception of soccer jerseys. On your next trip, skip the logos and opt for something neutral yet breezy (psst: the easy-to-match tone makes it versatile to wear multiple times on your trip). Linen is the unofficial fabric of the summer, and both Italian men and women wear linen clothing during the hottest months of the year, whether they find themselves at the beach or in the city. This flowy option from Uniqlo is bound to keep you cool when sightseeing, and it doesn't hurt that it's pretty stylish, too. Running shoes may be comfortable and provide needed arch support, especially when sightseeing, but they're not exactly the most stylish option. Instead, you should opt for a more chic alternative that will still give you the proper support needed to walk 10,000 steps or more. Podiatrist-approved and TikTok-famous brand Dr. Scholl's has the ultimate travel shoe style in its Madison Lace Platform Sneakers. They are a great alternative to the sporty look. Not only are they sleek and chic, but also very supportive thanks to their anti-odor insole technology and plush algae-infused sole that offers next-level support and cushioning. Best of all: they're currently on sale for just $70. Leggings may be comfortable, but they're often worn out in public in Italy, outside of athletic situations. Plus, they can be restrictive, especially in the warmer months. To stay cool while still looking chic, consider a pair of wide-leg pants. This breezy option from Quince is crafted from European linen and is available in a wide array of neutral hues, including a fun striped option, for just $40. I've worn these around Rome and while temple-hopping in Thailand and Cambodia, and they've always kept me cool and comfortable, even after prolonged hours of wear. 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Forbes
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Italy's Secret Southern Wine Region Ready To Steal The Spotlight
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The hilltop village of Cirò Superiore. Merano WineFestival Calabria This year, the town hosted the first edition of the Calabria version of Merano WineFestival, an event founded by Helmuth Köcher that has been held in the northern Italian town of Merano since 1992. The Calabrian sister festival hopes to become an annual fixture, highlighting both the push within the wine sector to valorize local products and the territory in general to bring international visitors to the area. With a clear, calm sea and waterside restaurants, Cirò Marina satisfies beachgoers while Cirò Superiore is an old-world, lively town crowned by a castle and encircled by picturesque wineries. Here's how to spend a weekend in Italy's up-and-coming wine tourism destination. Until roughly 20 years ago, Calabrian wine received little recognition from other Italian regions, and even less internationally. But recently, forward-thinking generations of vintners have pushed to put the region's wine on the map by highlighting in particular its idiosyncrasies. When the ancient Greeks arrived at this point of the Italian peninsula, they brought with them grape varieties and christened the area Enotria, meaning land of wine. Still today, Calabria's wine production is based on hyperlocal, ancient varieties, making it completely unique. The characteristics of the land are also hugely influential, from the marine terraces that give wines an intense minerality to the steep hillside buffeted by breezes that ensure freshness and acidity. Winery hopping from the sea to the hills These landscapes also mean a weekend wending your way between wineries is a great pleasure. Start your day with a dip in the clear, cobalt Ionian Sea at Punta Alice. There's a vast pebbled beach and clubs that rent sun loungers. If you want to spend an extended time at the sea, head to Aquarama in Cirò Marina and grab a table for lunch, during which waiters bring platters of crunchy fried calamari rings, delicate squid salad and zingy pickled anchovies. That's followed by a seafood soup with a rich tomato sauce and little strands of spaghetti. Head to the beach clubs at Punta Alice for tasty seafood. Rebecca Ann Hughes From there, head inland along untrafficked roads lined with blooming oleander, passing vineyards, olive groves and gorse-covered hillsides. Head to the Librandi winery, where you can learn about their scientific research into the ancient grape varieties of the region, 200 of which grow in a special spiral-shaped vineyard. You can then take a tour of the winery, followed by a tasting of their wines. Alongside excellent Cirò DOC and Melissa DOC whites, Librandi produces a delightfully fresh Rosaneti Brut Rosé using the Charmant method. Visit the ancient village of Cirò Superiore The opening night of the Calabrian Merano WineFestival was held in the hillside village of Cirò Superiore, the ribbon strung across the narrow arched entrance gate. The pocket-sized piazzas were filled with wine stands and a stage with a DJ. Find history and culture in Cirò Superiore. Rebecca Ann Hughes Visitors can seek out wine history at the idiosyncratic museum in the town. It combines three exhibitions: rooms showcasing traditional home interiors and agriculture and winemaking tools; an exhibit dedicated to the Cirò-born inventor of the Gregorian calendar Aloysius Lilius; and a wine museum. Don't miss a dinner at Borgo Antico restaurant, where you sit on a terrace overlooking the hillside strung with fairy lights. You can sample flavor-packed local dishes like sardelle—sardines with red pepper paste—and oil-drenched sweet green peppers. Sleep in a historic borgo transformed into a scattered hotel To end the day in style, head to Borgo Saverona for the evening. Originally a village, it has been transformed into an events space and scattered hotel where Puglia-esque creamy stone buildings are arranged around a square. The 16 rooms and three suites are elegant and light-filled, with typically terracotta flooring and cream wood furnishings. There is a swimming pool, and the whole property is encircled by 20 hectares of vineyards and ancient olive trees. How to get to Cirò The nearest airports to Cirò are Crotone and Lamezia Terme. International flights from destinations in Europe and further afield fly here. If you are coming to Cirò from another Italian destination, you can also take the train. As Italian booking sites can be difficult to navigate if you don't know the language, try using Omio instead. The multi-modal travel booking platform combines thousands of travel partners and four modes of transportation: trains, buses, ferries, and planes With the Omio app, travellers have all their tickets in one place. Other benefits include 24/7 customer support, Seat Maps and live updates.
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Travel + Leisure
2 hours ago
- Travel + Leisure
Capri Is Expensive and Crowded—but Here's Why I Still Love It
Here are moments when Capri, a small, rocky island in the Gulf of Naples, seems deranged. When you first experience the clamor of the port, say, or sit in a pink convertible taxi as it tries to pass another pink convertible taxi on a road that is 8.5 inches wide. There are many more moments—eating the namesake caprese salad amid the scent of pines while overlooking a turquoise bay, for example—when it's all so gorgeous you can't quite believe it exists. The best Capri moments, however, are when the insane and the beautiful, the poetic and the bratty all coincide in a total eclipse of reason. This happened to me a couple of days into my family's stay, one sweltering mid-afternoon at La Palma Beach Club, on Marina Piccola beach. I was just toweling off after chasing some fish around the Tyrrhenian Sea with my children when the in-house DJ dropped 'Tu Vuò Fà l'Americano,' by the Neapolitan singer Renato Carosone. You might know it as the song Jude Law and Matt Damon sing in the jazz club in "The Talented Mr. Ripley": ' Tu vuò fà l'Americano…'mericano…'mericano… ' It may have been the sun. It may have been the aperitivi. It may have been the hallucinogenic effect of the striped sunshades. But I swear, everyone in that place started singing along. The demure Italian gent and his tiny-waisted mistress. The hip young waitress, her tray laden with drinks. Even the lobsters and clams on their beds of spaghetti. La Palma's Gennaro's restaurant. From left: Hotel La Palma's beach club, on the Italian island of Capri; mixing a drink by the hotel pool. Carosone wrote the song in 1956 to mock the Italian boys who drank whiskey sodas and danced to rock and roll, pretending to be American. It's now entirely the other way around. The world goes to Capri to play at being Italian: to sink Aperol Spritzes, dress in pastel linens, and enjoy il dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing. Capri has been casting its spell on visitors since the days of the Trojan War, when Odysseus supposedly encountered the Sirens in these waters on his voyage home. After World War II, the island became one of the first parts of Italy to develop what we today think of as tourism: Jackie Kennedy bought sandals there; Slim Aarons took images of bronzed, oily bodies and ravishing clifftop meals. And to bring things bang up to date, Charli xcx name-checks Capri on the song 'Everything Is Romantic' from her all-conquering album, "Brat" : 'Lemons on the trees and on the ground / Sandals on the stirrups of the scooters / Neon orange drinks on the beach.' Which is pretty much the vibe. Shopping on Via Le Botteghe. From left: Guests arriving for lunch at Le Grottelle restaurant; linguine with clams at La Palma's beach club. The unbeatable thing about La Palma is its location, right in the central piazzetta on the site of the island's first hotel (the building dates back to 1822). There's something delicious about sipping lemonade after a dip in the pool, looking down from the balcony at the day-trippers all hot and bothered below. You're also next to the best ice cream place on the island, Gelateria Buonocore, so when you've been out wandering, you'll know you're nearly home when you can smell the waffle cones caramelizing. (The best flavor is hazelnut, or nocciola, by the way, and it's definitely worth the wait—and the calories.) In practical terms, you will arrive by boat. If chartering a Riva is not for you (Capri is a magnet for the have-yachts, and is priced accordingly), there are regular public ferries from Naples, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, and Ischia. Taxis and buses will deposit you on Via Roma, on the edge of Capri Town, and you'll have to walk the rest of the way, as most of Capri is accessible only to pedestrians. Make sure to arrange in advance for your luggage to be carried up ahead of you (and back again when you leave). From left: A staffer bearing dessert at Hotel La Palma; a view from the Via Pizzolungo path. Boys playing ball at Marina Piccola. Yes, there are downsides to being as stunning as Capri. The island receives as many as 16,000 visitors per day in high summer, and every single one of them seems to immediately buy a lemon sorbet and eat it while bumping into things. Still, as with other heavily touristed Italian destinations (Venice, Siena, Bellagio, etc.), all you need to do is wander a couple of streets away from the main drag to find space to breathe. We had a wonderful time exploring the labyrinthine alleyways, marveling at churches nuzzled among houses, emerging from the shady lanes to find breathtaking views between the pines, cypresses, and prickly pears. Which isn't to dismiss the shopping opportunities. 'I would be lying if I said that being in the middle of all these boutiques wasn't hugely exciting to me,' drawled one of our fellow guests as we compared notes over breakfast one morning. The international brands all have their outposts, of course, mostly on the Via Camerelle, while Jackie Kennedy's favorite, La Parisienne Capri, is still on Piazza Umberto. The view of Marina Grande from Villa Lysis, a historic mansion now open to the public. But there's more intrigue among the artisanal outlets around Via Le Botteghe. Bottega Capri is the place for sandals; 100% Capri for crisp high-end linens; Capri People for fabulous sunglasses. You might notice, as you browse, a not-so-subtle celebrity-counting competition under way among the restaurateurs. The proprietor of the family-run Aurora Capri restaurant, Mia D'Alessio, beams out of shots with Beyoncé, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mariah Carey, Roger Federer, and so on. I realize that the crowds, celebrities, and luxury brands may all sound a little off-putting. This is before we come to the fact that the lemon taglioni at Aurora is $50 and also that Capri doesn't really have any proper beaches. Marina Piccola is not much larger than a sandbox; Marina Grande, by the port, is only marginally grande -er, and it's pebbly. The water may be divine but most of the swimming around Capri is done off boats or concrete slabs, even in the upmarket stabilimenti (beach clubs) like La Canzone del Mar. If you want your fix of family beach vacation, consider nearby Ischia. But the funny thing about all of this is that the usual rules don't quite apply. 'Capri,' an Italian friend had warned, 'is a whole other dimension.' Via Krupp, a footpath between Capri Town and Marina Piccola. I'm going to give you two pieces of advice to make the most of it. The first is to try to stay at a hotel on the island. What you will find is that come 6 p.m. or so— aperitivo time, handily—the temperature drops, the crowds thin out, and Capri breathes again. There are stellar sunsets to be had at Le Grottelle, a restaurant carved into the rocks near the geological marvel that is the Arco Naturale. The rooftop bar at Il Capri Hotel, a sexy pink-and-crimson boutique property on the Via Roma, is a delicious spot for a sundowner. If you're really in the party mood, you might head to Taverna Anema e Core, a nightspot straight from a Paolo Sorrentino movie. A decent hotel will give you access to water, which is necessary for cooling off. La Palma has a free shuttle to its beach club. If you're after a more sedate destination, J.K. Place offers boutique comforts in a grand palazzo by the shoreline. It has easy access to Marina Grande, as well as one of the island's largest pools, and it books up accordingly fast. Rooftop loungers and umbrellas at Il Capri Hotel. You might not like my second piece of advice. Bring your running shoes. Don't make that face! Set your alarm for 7 a.m. and hit the road while you have the island to yourself. On our first morning, my son and I followed a handy jogging map provided by La Palma on a circuit of the Via Pizzolungo. The path snakes around the southeastern coast, taking in the Arco Naturale, the Faraglioni rocks, the Modernist villa where Jean-Luc Godard filmed Contempt, the bucolic Giardini d'Augusto, and a machine that dispenses lemons filled with sorbet. The following day I made the slightly more arduous climb to Anacapri and was rewarded with views of the sea and pink-dawn reflections in the old town. Beautiful. Your photo reel will thank you for it, I promise. Also, you know what's better than a breakfast buffet at a high-end Italian hotel? A breakfast buffet you have truly earned. That way you needn't feel bad about eating two pistachio croissants. From left: A parade passes in front of Hotel La Palma; a regular with his cone at Gelateria Buonocore Capri. If running seems a little much, you can always hike. The gorgeous Villa Lysis—built by the early-20th-century Parisian aristocrat Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen to flee a sex scandal—is a not-too-taxing walk from Capri Town. There are easy-to-follow signs, a pleasing lack of cars, and a great deli en route called Columbus if you want to stop for a picnic. Carry on a little farther and you'll reach the majestic ruins of the Villa Jovis, from which Tiberius ruled the Roman Empire. Capri is an island of spectacular views, and this one is the emperor of them all. From the pinnacle you can see Naples, Vesuvius, Sorrento, and Positano, all lined up like stars. And that, really, is the greatest thing about this place: for an island where you can spend as much as it is possible to spend, Capri is extremely free with its charms. A version of this story first appeared in the August 2025 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline 'Ciao, Bella.'
