Il San Pietro di Positano

Carlino Cinque, who had opened Positano's Hotel Miramare in 1934, bought a stretch of cliff two kilometres from the town and opened Il San Pietro there in 1970. He built without an architect and pulled down anything that spoiled the view from the sea. His family still owns it, led today by Virginia Cinque and her sons Vito and Carlo. A small 17th-century chapel to San Pietro marks the entrance, and the hotel steps down the rock face one room deep, so every room opens onto its own terrace over the Gulf of Salerno. Rooms are individually designed with ceramics by local craftspeople, and the Signature rooms are the work of Fausta Gaetani. A lift cut through the cliff runs from the lobby to the only private beach in Positano, next to a tennis court set between rock and sea, and terraced organic gardens supply the kitchen. Alois Vanlangenaeker, here for more than 20 years, holds a MICHELIN star at Zass, while Carlino serves lighter meals by the water. A boat trip and a round-the-clock shuttle into Positano are included. There are 57 rooms and suites, and the hotel holds Three MICHELIN Keys.