Between the pulse of Positano and the tranquility of Praiano lies Casa Angelina – a hotel where contemporary art, minimalist design and the sea's ever-changing light interact in an unusually well-thought-out whole.
ALONG THE AMALFI COAST, MOUNTAINS, SEA AND HISTORY MEET IN A LANDSCAPE THAT FEELS ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE BEAUTIFUL
THE ROAD BECOMES EVERYTHING narrower and more stubborn. We follow SS163 Amalfitana, the coastal road that clings between mountains and sea. Through tunnels, out into short openings of light where the landscape suddenly falls free. The houses seem to be attached to the cliffs above the deep blue Mediterranean. However, the traffic means that we have to slow down from time to time.
Along the Amalfi Coast, mountains, sea and history meet in a landscape that almost feels impossibly beautiful. Lemon terraces, steep mountain sides and historic villages like Positano, Amalfi and Ravello form a landscape that has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997 – as much culture as nature.
THE WHITE VISION
We have left Positano behind us when the car turns off the coastal road. Already at the entrance we are met by the first signal of what awaits us. The sculpture The Conversation by French artist Étienne Pirot depicts two figures in dialogue and acts as a visual prologue. Here, the art is not a complement to the interior design – it is part of the soul of the hotel.
When the doors open, the pace changes. To understand Casa Angelina, you need to rewind. In 2003, the entrepreneur acquired Antonino Cappiello a former guesthouse in Praiold man. Together with architects Gennaro Fusco and Francesco Savarese and interior designer Marco De Luca, he created a hotel that broke with the traditional ideals of the Amalfi Coast. The vision was clear: minimalism, contemporary art and the presence of the sea in one and the same expression.
Few hotels along the coast are quite like Casa Angelina. White dominates, but never in a single tone, but rather in a spectrum of shades that capture the light rather than reflect it. Small marks are painted over in a constant rhythm of maintenance, making the surfaces appear almost timeless. For a few years now, the hotel has been collaborating with the Italian designer Paola Lenti. Her furniture, textiles and outdoor environments add color, structure and comfort and break up the white expression without disturbing the whole. At the same time, the hotel experience is kept alive.
BETWEEN ART & COAST
The generous glass sections blur the boundary between outside and inside. The movements of the clouds, the sun's path and the sea's changes become part of the space. At the same time, the austere whole is broken by works from Antonino Cappiello's private art collection: Murano glass by Alfredo Sosabravo and paintings by Patricia Valencia Carstens. The art adds energy without disturbing the peace.
When it's past lunchtime, we sit down on the terrace there restaurant Seascape The kitchen is open to the guests, but it is the view that takes over. A glass of white wine from Furore Costa d'Amalfi, dry, fresh and with marked acidity, reinforces the feeling of the place. The lunch is simple: local ingredients, clean flavors, and ends with an espresso and a Lemon Delizia.
UNDER THE PERGOLA
The afternoon is spent under the famous lemon pergola. Here hang the Sfusato Amalfitano lemons that have become a symbol of the entire coast. It is the hotel's most photographed spot, but paradoxically also one of the most
most peaceful. A gardener takes care of the trees daily and keeps the pergola in top shape.
For those leaving the hotel there are two directions: Praiano and Positano. Transfers run several times a day. Positano is just as intense as the rumor says. Narrow alleys, shops filled with ceramics and linen, lemons reappear everywhere: as patterns, scents and tastes. At the same time, the city is difficult to defend against. The pastel-colored houses climb the mountain, and the sea sparkles far below as a backdrop.
Yet it is only when we return that the contrast becomes clear. The pace slows. The sounds are muffled. Silence reclaims the place.
We live in a Terrace Room with equal parts inside and outside. But it's the terrace that defines the room. When the sun goes down we open a bottle Champagne with the hotel's label and let the light take over. The sky changes from reddish orange to silver before darkness falls.
FROM FARMS TO TABLE
The next morning begins in the herb garden. The air is cool, the sun has not yet risen over the ridge. The yoga instructor asks us to direct our gaze towards the sea, the mountains and the horizon. Birds, distant engine noises and the rustling of the vegetation form a quiet background sound. A beautiful moment that anchors both the body and the place.
The breakfast is as elaborate as the rest of the experience. The buffet is generous but restrained, complemented by personal service. Local cheeses, antipasti, tomatoes, yogurt, honey and fresh berries are accompanied by freshly baked bread and coffee.
Shortly afterwards I follow Chef Leopoldo Elefante up in the mountains. On a terraced slope lie the hotel's orchards, where the gardener Basile works with a view of the sea.
“I come here every day to choose ingredients and plan what to grow,” says Leopoldo.
The interaction between them is obvious. Tomatoes, sage, thyme, basil and oregano grow in rows over 2,000 square meters.
“We grow five types of tomatoes. I sing to them so they grow,” Basile says, laughing. Chives replace pesticides. It’s easy to smile at the picture, but it says something about the whole: a care that extends from art to soil.
ON A TERRACE-D SLOPE ARE THE HOTEL'S GROWERS, WHERE MASTER GARDENER BASILE WORKS WITH A VIEW OF THE SEA
EVENING ON THE HEIGHT
Later in the afternoon we go to Praiano. A cone of lemon sorbet in the heat, then back to the hotel and a Limoncello Mojito.
During the stay, a picture of the guests emerges. Those who come here are not those who want to be seen the most, but those who seek tranquility, discretion and a well-crafted aesthetic. Many return year after year. One of them is Nabila, who works in Saudi Arabia.
“I've been coming here for almost ten years. It feels like coming home every time,” she says.
That the home also houses a restaurant with a star in The Michelin Guide reinforces the whole. On A Piano in the Sky A five-course menu signed by Leopoldo Elefante is served, where seasonal ingredients rule everything.
The sun has set when we sit down to eat. Candles, hushed voices, Italian gestures in the next room. A simple pasta with tomato sauce is served to Nabila, a dish off the menu. We get to taste it too.
The feeling I carry with me is that behind the white facade there is something unusual in a region characterized by opulence. On a coast where much is about being seen, Casa Angelina has made tranquility its greatest luxury.
CASA ANGELINA
Via Gennaro Capriglione, Praiano
Included in: The Leading Hotels of the World
Price example last weekend in August, 2 nights for 2 people from 1,300 Euros.
www.casangelina.com
