Villa Paola, Italy Hotel

Italy

Built into Tropea’s famous cliffs, Villa Paola combines resourceful design with exquisite luxury. The grounds of the former convent in Italy’s Calabria region are spread over seven terraces. At the top, an infinity pool, and then elevations carved into the rock – some bursting with bougainvillea and jasmine, others providing nooks where guests might enjoy the shade of the 400- year-old maritime pine and views that stretch across the Costa degli Dei (the coast of the Gods) and out over the glittering Tyrrhenian Sea. In true Italian style, days are punctuated by meals. Restaurant De’Minimi borrows its name from the Order of the Minims – who once inhabited the monastery – but it’s now the Calabrian cuisine that is venerated. Fellow diners are likely to have travelled from afar for chef Emanuele Pucci’s stunning dishes. Perhaps the biggest luxury of all is the short stroll back to one of the 12 rooms – through the grounds where so many of the ingredients are grown.

Words by Rachel Walker.

This article was taken from the June/July 2024 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.