Perfecting La Dolce Vita at Palazzo Avino

Over 1,000 feet above the Tyrrhenian Sea on the Amalfi Coast rests Ravello. A medieval hilltop village home to cliffside gardens, breathtaking views, and the famous Ravello Festival music gathering, the city also boasts medieval-style estates, award-winning hospitality destinations, and Michelin-starred cuisine. Up its steep hills and along its seaside edges, visitors to Ravello will find an array of spectacular spaces to soak in the view, swim in the ocean, and bask in the bliss of La Dolce Vita. 

Earlier this summer, Whitewall traveled to Ravello to pay Palazzo Avino a visit. Located just 37 miles from the airport in Naples, and atop the historic town, the hotel welcomes guests to a traditional palazzo in a wash of pale pink. Nicknamed “The Pink Palace” for this very reason, it was previously a 12th-century private villa for an Italian family, the Avinos. In 1997, it opened as a hotel, garnering acclaim as a five-star deluxe property since. 

Today, the boutique hotel is home to 43 guest rooms and seven suites—including the new Infinito Suite, designed by architect Giuliano Dell’Uva—featuring views of both mountain vistas and the sea. It also features an outdoor pool, a spa, a terrace plunge jacuzzi, the Clubhouse by the Sea beach club, a Michelin-starred restaurant named Rossellini’s, the Lobster and Martini Bar, 24-hour room service, and a cafe-meets gallery named Caffe dell’Arte. Across the narrow street, Palazzo Avino also boasts a luxurious boutique named The Pink Closet, presenting an array of clothing and accessory labels hand-picked by the Avinos.

Special for this year’s summer season, Palazzo Avino re-opened with a swath of new lifestyle collaborations and offerings, including a summer pop-up with Valentino for new red umbrellas and lounge furniture; the launch of Mar-A-Vi-glia white wine, gained from the grapes at Palazzo Avino’s vineyard, La Cascinetta; and new labels and lines added to The Pink Closet boutique. Seen in Caffe dell’Arte, as well, is an exhibition of 32 photographs by Marco Gualazzini entitled "Photographic Notes: Underground History.”

Mariella Avino, Managing Director of Palazzo Avino, shared with Whitewall how her family’s prized property transformed into an Amalfi Coast destination, and why art, fashion, design, and gastronomy push the Pink Palace to be respectful of its heritage, yet excited for the future.

WHITEWALL: You mentioned wanting Palazzo Avino to be “a recovery, strongly rooted in the history of the place. I imagined that color could enter the space, to mirror the great beauty outside.” What about its history did you want it to remain rooted in? How did that impact how you envisioned it as a hotel for the future? 

MARIELLA AVINO: The Pink Palace goes back to the XII century. I think for every step we make in the future of this special place we have to feel the responsibility for the past, and we have to respect our heritage. We try to find the right balance between the present, the future, and the past.

WW: Palazzo Avino is your family’s renovated palazzo. What was your idea of how you wanted this property to look or feel for today's visitors?

MA: The main objective is always to keep the house feel more than a hotel. So, the architectural aspects are of course kept as original so we try to reinforce the ambiance with colors.

WW: How does operating as a family business impact the hotel's overall atmosphere?

MA: It is key. Our employees are part of the family and I think this makes a huge difference in every guest stepping into the hotel. They all feel the soul of the place.

It is indeed also beautiful for me to work with my sister, Attilia, and we look forward to working also with Mariavittoria, our youngest sister—making a pink trio!

WW: This season, Caffe dell’Arte presented "Photographic Notes: Underground History” by Marco Gualazzini, highlighting conflict and humanitarian crises through 32 photographs. Why did you want to show these images? What do they convey?

MA: The pictures lead us on an underground path through history, and apparently far away lives, with the aim of focusing our attention on conflicts and humanitarian crises—from Sub-Saharan Africa to Taliban Afghanistan. Gualazzini takes us to the parts of Africa that we would prefer to ignore, to erase from our knowledge and conscience, showing us eyes that we would prefer not to meet, situations that we cannot imagine, and truths that we wish would not concern us and that could disappear from our hearts because they are far.

The exhibition shows a selection of 32 photographs from reportages made by this Italian photojournalist in various contemporary crisis areas. This is a truly emotional exhibition, suggestive and reflective, touching our souls.

WW: The hotel opened The Pink Closet across the street in 2019. How do you approach curating both the fashion and accessories labels found there?

MA: The Pink Closet is the story of a journey told in a layering of memories, souvenirs, pieces of clothing, and objects. It is a spontaneous and personal curation of emotional pieces, as collected during the course of a vacation, following a very personal point of view. Eclecticism is the key to defining the space and selecting the offerings. Each piece is carefully chosen, to inspire and be admired, in an intimate and feminine dimension. My favorites are House of Mua Mua pieces and Piferi shoes.

WW: Featured at the hotel is a Michelin-starred restaurant named Rossellinis. What do you think garnered its esteemed status, aside from the sumptuous dishes?

MA: Rossellinis is a one-of-a-kind gastronomic and panoramic experience. The restaurant is one of the most romantic in the world. The experience starts with an aperitivo in the garden at sunset where we serve amuse-bouche and champagne and then guests are escorted up to the terrace where the actual gastronomic journey commences. Leave room for the dessert. The magic trolley will lead you to the quintessential Italian tradition in pastry including the apricot panettone.

WW: This year, the hotel debuted Mar-A-Vi-glia—a white wine produced from the grapes at La Cascinetta. What will this taste like?

MA: This experiment in beauty and love, originates from an enchanted place, in the heart of Ravello, La Cascinetta vineyard of Palazzo Avino. Suspended between sea and sky, in one of Ravello’s most panoramic and suggestive gardens, the vineyard is cast into the blue, set in history, and in the essence of what Ravello and Palazzo Avino represent. Mar-a-vi-glia stands for "something admirable, exceptional, and unexpected.”

This name, full of meaning, is the synthesis of the three Avino sisters’ initials, the female heart of the Avino Family: MARiella, Attilia, MariaVIttoria, FamiGlia.

Mar-a-viglia is a white wine with a fresh Mediterranean character, coming from two typical grape varieties of Campania, Falanghina, and Biancolella, and is served only in Palazzo Avino due to the limited production.

WW: It also featured a collaboration with Valentino, which designed a collection of outdoor red umbrellas. Why Valentino? 

MA: Growing up in an Italian family, when talking about fashion, Valentino was the brand, was the designer. It is also so linked to Italian history, in terms of fashion and lifestyle, that I could not think of a better partner for this collaboration.

WW: For those new to Ravello and visiting, what would you recommend them to see or experience?

MA: I would definitely suggest visiting the Duomo and San Francisco Churches, strolling in the little streets, and enjoying a concert in Villa Rufolo.