Latest news with #IlPellicano
Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Francesca Amfitheatrof's golden summer
It has been only a matter of weeks since Francesca Amfitheatrof parted ways with Louis Vuitton by mutual agreement, after seven years as artistic director of jewellery and watches. But when we speak over Zoom she could not appear to be more relaxed. Perhaps it's where she is based — Il Pellicano in Tuscany for a celebration of the hotel's 60th anniversary. She's joined on the call by the CEO and creative director of the Pellicano Hotel Group, Marie-Louise Sciò, to discuss their jewellery collaboration marking 'the Pelli's' six decades. 'I'm very happy,' says Amfitheatrof, 'it's perfect timing in life.' The women were both brought up in Rome (Amfitheatrof is half Italian) and their mothers, they discovered recently, are also friends. Amfitheatrof is a loyal guest of Il Pellicano hotels; Sciò is effusive in her praise of the jeweller. 'I love what she does, it's fantastic to have something designed by her.' The idea to collaborate started over a swim on Ischia last July. 'It just happened really naturally,' she says. Their completed creation is a medallion pendant crafted in silver or gold; a gnarly, textured take on the ancient Roman mask Bocca della Verità, or Mouth of Truth, which can be found outside the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Once the design was agreed, Amfitheatrof took the idea to one of the factories she knows from her time at Louis Vuitton and Tiffany. 'I know all the factories and makers in Italy. I walked into one and it was all HardWear, the collection I did for Tiffany — the whole factory! I have very good relationships with them so they agreed to make it and we made a wax model.' From this the medallion was cast. Sciò describes the pendant as having 'a timeless quality and also a 1970s and 1980s vibe' — something that reminds her of her childhood and summers spent at Il Pellicano. Her father, Roberto Sciò, bought the property in 1979. 'I used to hide behind the bushes because I wasn't supposed to be downstairs — it wasn't kid friendly. All the women guests wore jewellery to go the beach. They had medallions and rings and earrings; they were covered in gold.' Amfitheatrof was inspired by the past when creating it: 'I had this fabulous aunt, she was Californian and she arrived in Rome and always had medallions that would jingle-jangle. I immediately thought of her when we were discussing it. The surface of the gold is unpolished — it needs that patina so it feels like it's been in your jewellery box and on your body for a long time. Nothing is highly polished, nothing is super shiny.' 'Like the Pelli,' Sciò interjects, 'it doesn't scream and yell.' Amfitheatrof: 'Exactly. The hotel exudes an elegance that isn't obvious; there's this incredible ease — you know, when things are settled? It breathes that.' Amfitheatrof hopes to see men and women wearing the medallion 'super glamorous, down by the pool, martini in your hand'. It's certainly an enticing image. Launching on June 26, €1,700 in 925 silver, €5,000 in 18ct gold;
Telegraph
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Where Europe's A-listers are heading in 2025
Curious to know where the low-key cool kids and savvy A-listers are holidaying in Europe this summer? I checked in with a few of my most trusted travel fixers to find out. From Tuscany-on-sea to a super-rustic-chic Greek island, the non-bling super-savvy travel set is keeping it simple. Italy Monte Argentario, Tuscany Say Tuscany and most people think of rolling countryside and vineyards. Less well known, unless you're a member of Italian high society or a savvy Roman, are the great swathes of the southern Tuscan coastline and in particular, Monte Argentario. Once an island, it is now a forest-covered promontory dotted with secluded private homes, connected to the mainland by three spits of land and best explored by bike or boat. The top hotel is Il Pellicano, where everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Henry Fonda would decamp to for summer breaks in the 1960s and 1970s. Today its glamour is somewhat faded, endearing it to its regulars even more The nearest town, the pretty, restaurant-filled Porto Ercole, also remains reassuringly disinterested in the trappings of modern life. There are some beautiful tucked-away villas for rent through companies such as Tuscany Now and More but if you want to be closer to the albeit-sleepy action, chic modern newcomer La Roqqa in Porto Erecole is an excellent option for half the price of Il Pellicano. With its rooftop restaurant and fabulous beach club, it's attracting a whole new generation. How to do it: Doubles at La Roqqa in the summer from about £370 France Lourmarin, Provence The fact that Lourmarin's vibrant Friday market runs year-round says a lot about this lovely hillside Provençal town in southern Luberon, increasingly in favour with discerning Britons. Unlike many of its better-known neighbours, this is a working town with a thriving local economy that doesn't entirely revolve around tourism. It has long attracted artists, writers and other creatives (both philosopher and writer Albert Camus and writer Henri Bosco lived here, and are buried in the local churchyard). Home to cute little boutiques and antique shops and set among vineyards and olive groves, Lourmarin can feel sleepy and slow paced one minute and buzzy and vibrant the next and has one of the best dining scenes in the Luberon. The town is home to Provence's first Renaissance castle, Château de Lourmarin, which hosts festivals and events throughout the year, including a three-day music and arts weekend in June (6-8) hosted by local resident and house DJ Laurent Garnier and classical concerts in the summer months. If money is no object, check out the local holiday rentals, for example, Mas du Bourg, available through Le Collectionist. Alternatively, French hipsters are heading to Le Moulin, a stylish hotel in an old converted mill in the centre of town. How to do it: Doubles at Le Moulin in the summer from £216. Spain Ávila, Castilla y Leon On the cusp of international recognition, heralded by, amongst other things, the arrival of a Six Senses hotel at the end of next year, the medieval walled city of Ávila has long been the weekend escape of choice for well-heeled foodie Madrileños, for whom it is just an hour and a half's drive north-west. For those in the know, La Casa del Presidente is the hotel to book. The former home of Adolfo Suárez, Spain's first democratically elected prime minister post-Franco, this 10-room boutique hotel is built into the city walls and still feels like a grand private residence. View this post on Instagram A post shared by La Casa del Presidente (@lacasadelpresidente) It also has a new restaurant, by 24-year-old wunderkind Diego Sanz, so there has never been a better time to go. Sanz has brought his contemporary take on the region's traditional stews and fire cooking and the restaurant has just been awarded one 'Sol' in the Guia Repsol (Spain's answer to the Michelin guide). Elsewhere in the city are other excellent dining options from Sanz's former home, the sustainably-focused Barro to the traditional cuisine of Restorante El Almacén, located in a former wheat store. How to do it: Doubles at La Casa del Presidente in the summer from €235. Portugal Olhão, Eastern Algarve A rare seaside town on the Algarve for whom tourism isn't the primary focus, Olhão is a busy fishing port, famous for its fantastic fish market, seafood restaurants – try Prazeres and Cha Cha Cha – and access to Ria Formosa Natural Park. It is a little rough around the edges, which has kept it somewhat under-the-radar. It is also less than a 20-minute drive from Faro Airport by taxi. Defiantly un-glossy, it has long attracted a bohemian and well-travelled crowd, some of whom have never left, buying and restoring town houses in the Moorish, white-washed streets of the historic centre and setting up restaurants, hotels and other businesses. Launching in the autumn in the beautifully restored Casa Braga, for example, will be an outpost of the superb London-based cookery school, Food at 52. Olhão now has accommodation to suit all budgets, from an exquisite, boho-chic townhouse with a rooftop pool (sleeps 24), available for rent through The Luxury Travel Book, to some great little boutique hotels like chic, affordable, nine-room Casa Rosa. How to do it: Doubles at Casa Rosa hotel in the summer from about €145. Greece Antiparos, Cyclades The rule with Greek islands is the harder it is to get to them, the more unspoilt they're likely to be, because the people who would spoil them are frankly, lazy. There are several ways to get to Antiparos, Paros's quieter little sibling, but all require at least one boat. For the extra effort, you will be rewarded with the most heavenly little island, where rustic, simple living, beautiful beaches and fantastic food are the order of the day. One could say it's undiscovered but that wouldn't strictly be true: Tom and Rita Hanks have had a house there for over 20 years, Matthew McConaughey is a regular and it seems to be popular with the international art crowd. If you've got deep pockets, you too can rent a house there through the excellent Five Star Greece. Alternatively, there's the wonderful, understated, 17-room Rooster, a boutique wellness hotel on the island's west coast opened by Greek shipping heiress and sustainability champion, Athanasia Comninos. Better still, you can now book The Beach House, a restaurant with eight rooms on its own secluded cove, that Comninos has just restored and brought back to life. She took it on to stop it being snapped up by the circling beach club developers from Mykonos and has done a beautiful job. Opening any day now, it will undoubtedly be the low key hot ticket for summer 2025. How to do it: Doubles at the Beach House from € 590 in the summer. Croatia Cres, Kvarner Gulf It may be the biggest of the Croatian islands but Cres is also one of the most wild and sparsely populated and feels a world away from better known spots such as Hvar or Vis. It has a bit of everything, including a beautiful capital, Cres Town, that feels like a little slice of Venice, due to 400 years of occupation, with hundreds of churches (literally), great restaurants and fishing boats trundling in and out of the turquoise harbour. The island is also hilly and rugged, with 300kms of walking and biking trails, villages to explore and an impressive population of golden eagles, Griffon vultures, peregrine falcons and kestrels. It is also increasingly popular with sailors, who love its well-protected harbours and sandy bays. Unless you're on a yacht or would prefer to go for an authentic-but-basic, family-run guest house, stylish accommodation on the island has been scant until now, with a just handful of luxury villas available through the likes of My Luxoria, but this spring saw the opening of a surprisingly international hotel, the 49-room Isolano, Cres, Autograph Collection (part of Marriott), a fresh and contemporary feeling waterfront hotel a 10-minute walk from Cres Town. How to do it: Doubles at The Isolano, Cres, Autograph Collection from £375 in summer. Turkey The Bozburun peninsula One of the most peaceful stretches of south west Turkey, the heavily forested Bozburun peninsula on the Aegean is a protected area of outstanding beauty, where in-the-know international travellers have been going for years. South of touristy Marmaris and also popular with wealthy Turkish tourists, the coastline is dotted with sleepy fishing villages, sheltered swimming coves and idyllic waterfront restaurants where you can sit and watch the world go by. There are also some good quality, independently owned little hotels and guest houses, such as the Losta Sahil Evi in Selimiye, which is a smaller, quieter version of Kalkan and where Istanbul's elite sail in on their gulets and hop ashore to dine at the town's many excellent restaurants. Losta Sahil Evi, which is open to those aged 12 and above, sits right on the water and has its own sunbathing platform and popular local restaurant. How to do it: Seven nights at Losta Sahil Evi in early July cost from £1,861 per person based on two sharing, including flights transfers and breakfast.
