LIFE IN LE SIRENUSE

With its stunning location perched on a vertiginous cliff leading down to the Amalfi Coast and old-world charm, the multi-award-winning Le Sirenuse is a legendary destination in a legendary part of Italy.

Once a summer villa belonging to the aristocratic Sersale family, the four Sersale siblings opened the house to guests in 1951 with eight rooms and a large terrace overlooking the sea – it has since expanded into several adjoining houses.

Crammed with beautiful antiques, artworks, and furniture (much of which can be credited to the late Franco Sersale, who was a globetrotter and keen amateur photographer), the ox-blood-with-white-trim-painted hotel is famously where John Steinbeck stayed in 1953, writing, “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes real after you have gone.”

The hotel offers engaging, small-group daily activities, which were our holiday highlights, as they offered the perfect antidote to the tourist-packed environs of Positano. The early morning ‘Stairway to Montepertuso’ walk took us up (and down) ancient footpaths, where we passed vegetable-filled gardens, locals leading mules, and the odd friendly pet dog, who joined us for part of our hike; while hugely passionate and knowledgeable sommelier Christian brought to life the Campania region, fast becoming known as Italy’s new ecological frontier, during an early evening wine tasting session located in the hotel’s restaurant.

It was also a treat to explore the hotel’s contemporary artworks, as Franco’s aesthetic has been complemented by his son Antonio Sersale and daughter-in-law Carla, who launched the Artists at Le Sirenuse programme in 2015 with British curator Silka Rittson-Thomas. To date, seven major installations by artists including Martin Creed, Stanley Whitney and Caragh Thuring have found a place in the hotel’s eclectic design.