Yahoo Lifestyle From Striped Hawaiian Shirts to Colorful Ceramics: 4 Luxe Items You Can Buy at Italian Hotels
For this summer’s ultimate souvenirs, you’re going to want to think local and exclusive. Forget about the same designer boutiques you can find in any major city or resort destination. The best and most unique finds won’t even require you step foot outside of your hotel. Surprise, surprise: many of the most covetable are from Italian boutique hotels and it’s not all beach towels and ash trays. All these hotels are also family owned so in order to survive and even compete with the onslaught of new ventures from luxury brands, they must evolve to become brands of their own. Here we present four properties that are leading the pack, from seaside institution Le Sirenuse (where you can find some of the most covetable resortwear around) to Borgo Santo Pietro in the Tuscan hills, where the farm-to-table approach extends to wellness with an award-winning skincare line.
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Brass-Fish Bottle Openers and Key Chains at Hotel Passalacqua | Lake Como
These days, it takes more than the finest linens and a Michelin-starred restaurant to take the No. 1 spot on a list of the world’s 50 best hotels, which Hotel Passalacqua did in 2023. The spa is stellar, to be sure, as is the pool house, which was decorated in collaboration with J. J. Martin of La Double J. But to fully embrace the villeggiatura and sense of place, even the tiniest details matter. Case in point: the hotel’s signature brass-fish bottle opener (there are also key chains), which will mentally transport you back to Lake Como every time you reach for a cold one.
Hawaiian Shirts in Stripes at Le Sirenuse | Positano
The red cliff-top hotel with sweeping views needs little introduction. Its owners, the Sersale family, were early to embrace the branding potential of the beloved property by launching an on-site boutique, Emporio Sirenuse, in 1993. These days, you can find Le Sirenuse’s clothing and swimwear everywhere from Net-a-Porter to Harrod’s, but nothing matches shopping the collection in person. If there’s only room in the suitcase for one thing, snag the brand’s riff on the Hawaiian shirt in vacation-ready stripes.
Farm-to-Spa Treatments at Borgo Santo Pietro | Palazzetto
At Borgo Santo Pietro in Tuscany, the focus is on the serene landscape. (The spot was once a healing rest stop for medieval pilgrims.) Naturally, there’s an emphasis on farm-to-table cuisine, but more interesting might be the farm-to-spa treatments. Made in-house, the renowned Seed to Skin range draws on local remedies dating back to at least 1129; expect natural ingredients such as butterfat, thermal water, and raw honey. Grab the award-winning Eye Rescue Duo, a secret weapon for maintaining your post-vacation glow.
Locally Made Ceramics at Palazzo Avino | Ravello
A once-private villa built in the 12th century, Palazzo Avino is one of the Amalfi Coast’s most celebrated hotels. When a former art gallery adjacent to Ravello’s beloved “pink palace” came up for sale, hotelier Mariella Avino and her sister Attilia made an offer. Mariella envisioned the new space, now dubbed the Pink Closet, as a spot to promote homegrown talent, partnering with the Camera Nazionale della Moda in order to provide a platform for emerging designers. We like the colorful, locally made ceramics—perfect for alfresco entertaining.
