PALAZZO SASSO
Sumptuous living at sugar-pink clifftop palazzo
THIS SUGAR-PINK PALACE with mesmeric clifftop views over the vertiginous Amalfi coast is a place to turn on the glitz. Polished marble mosaic floors and equally polished staff set the tone in Palazzo Sasso's
lavish lobby guarded by stone mermaids, marble lions and torch-bearing nymphs.
Elegant sofas and flamboyant artworks line the lounge and piano bar while outside,
lofty palms flutter over terraces beckoning for cocktails. Rooms are as sumptuous as you would expect, with creamy-light furniture, hand-made Vietri tiles, dazzling marble and gleaming gold and brass fittings. Palazzo Sasso guests can even choose from a menu of Frette bedlinen, sliding into king-size beds dressed in linen, satin or soft cotton sheets.
The
extravagant cliff-side pool with its fountains and manicured terraces is the perfect place to loll away an afternoon, while a glass-walled lift will whisk you up to the rooftop whirlpools.
Hit the Spot
Perched on Ravello's clifftop with heart-thumping views.
Bedtime
Ready to splurge big time? Try the terraced Belvedere suite.
Be Savvy
Make sure you're glammed up for dinner.
Be Smitten
Turn on the glitz and live the movie-star life.
Movie moguls
Palazzo Sasso’s two Michelin star restaurant Rossellini’s (named after Ingrid Bergman, who stayed here with movie mogul Roberto Rossellini back in the 1940s), is one of the region’s best. Don’t miss a starlit dinner here – an all-evening gastronomic affair where each course is to be savoured.
Immaculate staff are tuned into the demands of high-maintenance guests, so prepare to be pampered. Explore Ravello’s lush gardens and alleys when you're ready or simply chill and lap up the luxe – do you really want to stir?
Palazzo Sasso was reviewed for Room for Romance by
Mairiona Cotter
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Dining in
Dress up or dress down here: Palazzo Sasso offers the choice of melt-in-the-mouth two Michelin star cooking at its showpiece restaurant Rossellini's, or relaxed dining at the Terrazza Belvedere. Chef Pino Lavarra, who previously worked at Raymond Blanc's Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, cooks to huge acclaim here in a star-struck setttng high on the Ravello cliffside.
Tasting menus include imaginative dishes such as
giant squid ravioli filled with crab and courgettes, creamed potato sauce and ricotta dumpling, while the chocolate desserts are historic. Tuck into fresh pasta and lighter meals beneath a parasol at Terrazza Belvedere, or enjoy cocktails in the dazzlingly marble-floored Caffé dell'Arte.
Dining out
For a change, get a cab down to Amalfi, and try Al Pesce d'Oro or one of the many informal pizza restaurants around the main square.
Where?
Rossellini's at Palazzo Sasso
What’s cooking?
Cuisine that has earned two Michelin stars: try cod fillet crusted with Gaetas black olives, Sorrento beef tomatoes and anchovy sauce.
Dress the part
As swish as the setting
Top table?
On the terrace, looking down at the fishing boats 1,000 feet below
See & Do
Wander Ravello's quiet lanes and backstreets to take in the stupendous views, pop into some Romanesque churches and visit the sublime gardens of Villa Cimbrone. Get a cab (or the hourly bus) down the hill to Amalfi, where you can zip off on a boat or hydrofoil to the other hotspot of the Amalfi coast and the Isle of Capri. You're also close enough to the doric temples of Paestum, Mount Vesuvius and ancient Pompeii for some great days out. Palazzo Sasso also organises private boat trips.
Shop
Have a browse in Bric-a-Brac in Ravello for antiques, prints and collectibles, or stock up on Italian leather goods at Bazar Florio in Amalfi.
Spa
Don't leave without wallowing in the hydro pool, hot tubs and Turkish steam room of the Sasso spa. There's also a list of tempting treatments on offer, from an oxygenating facial to a seaweed body mask.
After dark
Ravello is not a late night place. If you're here during the famous music festival, get tickets to a concert in the gardens of Villa Rufolo, followed by a nightcap in the village square. Light sleeper? There's even a dawn concert in August, when you can watch sunrise over the bay.
Dates
June - September
Listen to Mozart, Brahms, Scarlatti and Chopin at one of the many al fresco music concerts held during the Ravello Festival.
GETTING THERE
Location
Via San Giovanni del Toro, 84010 Ravello
Parking
A porter will direct you to free guest parking.
Trains
Salerno – 25km
Taxis
Around EUR 150 to Naples Airport, by private limousine transfer
Airport
Naples – 60km, or Rome – 300km
Rooms and suites
38 rooms and five suites
Special features
You've got it all here, from Frette linens to Bulgari toiletrie. Period furnishings, antique rugs and Vietri tiled floors set everything off.
Also…
Top-notch comforts, stunning views, Michelin star dining and a Spa ensure you won't want for anything.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rate guide
EUR 330 – 2,200
Open/closed
Closed November – March
Check-in
2pm
Check-out
Midday
Minimum night stay?
No
Breakfast
Buffet breakfast is served until 10:30am
Room service
Available 24 hours a day
Children
Welcome
Pets
Small dogs accepted
Air conditioning
Yes
Languages
Italian, English, French, Spanish and some German
Wedding license?
Yes. Up to 70 guests can be catered for based on exclusive hire of the property.
Your contact
Aaron Kaupp – general manager