Italy

Why we chose it

An eighteenth-century villa restored over years by the family who owns it: frescoes, fabrics and furniture kept rather than referenced. You stay in rooms that were living rooms first.

Best for

Couples and small parties who would rather inhabit a house than use a hotel.

Our favourite room

The palazzo rooms looking across the terraced gardens to the lake — quieter than those on the water.

When to go

May and June for the wisteria, or September when the lake settles again.

Why we chose it

A 1960s house built into the cliff and retold in handmade Vietri tile. One of few addresses on this coast with its own beach and an unhurried terrace.

Best for

Travellers who know the Amalfi Coast and want it this time without the crowds.

Our favourite room

A suite on the middle levels with its own terrace — close enough to the beach lift, high enough for the view.

When to go

May, June and all of September. In August the coast road becomes an exercise in patience.

Why we chose it

Family-run since 1970 and still guided by the same idea: terraces set into the rock, bougainvillea over everything, a lift down to the sea. The staff have known returning guests by name for decades.

Best for

Travellers who value continuity — the same room, the same bay, every year.

Our favourite room

The upper-terrace rooms looking back at Positano rather than out to open sea.

When to go

Late April to June, then September and early October.

Why we chose it

A thousand-year-old castle on an estate of some 1,500 hectares, brought back by one family over two decades. Everything inside — lamps, handles, beds — was designed and made on site.

Best for

Travellers drawn to craft, architecture and long days without a schedule.

Our favourite room

A tower room over the hills; the bathrooms are among the finest we know in Italy.

When to go

May, June and September to mid-October, when the evening fires begin.

Why we chose it

The same bay, the same pines, the same attitude since 1965: Mediterranean ease without performance. The house shaped a style it never needed to reinvent.

Best for

Families and couples after a summer in the sixties sense — sea, lunch, afternoon.

Our favourite room

One of the garden cottages with its own terrace, steps from the cliff path.

When to go

June and September. The house closes for winter.

Why we chose it

A Renaissance villa of 1568, a hotel since 1873 and run without interruption ever since. The floating pool on the lake, the mosaic in the park, the height of the rooms — much of it exists only here.

Best for

Travellers who want European hotel history in working order, not under glass.

Our favourite room

A room in the Cardinal Building, quieter than the main house and facing the park.

When to go

May to July and September. The house closes for winter.

Why we chose it

A grand hotel of 1910, run by the same family for generations and still warm with it. The view across to the Bergamasque Alps is among the finest on the lake.

Best for

Families and couples who want grand-hotel atmosphere without stiffness.

Our favourite room

The rooftop suites with terraces; below them the classic lake rooms with their small balconies.

When to go

Late April to June, September and October.