Long before the Amalfi Coast became synonymous with la dolce vita, four Neapolitan siblings transformed their family’s summer villa in Positano into a small eight-room guesthouse named Le Sirenuse in 1951. What began as an intimate hospitality experiment by Anna, Aldo, Paolo, and Franco Sersale soon evolved into one of Italy’s most revered hotels. Although now a first-class hotel with sensational gastronomy, quality amenities, art-and-culture programming, and sweeping views of the vertical town, glistening sea, and unmissable Li Galli islands, it has remarkably retained the soul of a private home.
Francesco, Carla, Antonio, and Aldo Sersale at Le Sirenuse Mare, portrait by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Le Sirenuse Mare, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Today, Le Sirenuse remains in the hands of the Sersale family, with Antonio and Carla Sersale continuing the personal stewardship established by previous generations while shaping the hotel into a living cultural world that bridges art, design, cuisine, wellness, and contemporary Mediterranean life. Their sons, Aldo and Francesco, are now part of its operations, too, bringing it into the modern day with brand collaborations, global partnerships, lively activations, and onsite updates that reflect the global traveler’s interests. Le Sirenuse’s evolution also hinges on an important art program: Artists at Le Sirenuse, the hotel’s long-running site-specific contemporary art program curated by Silka Rittson-Thomas.
Courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Conceived as an extension of the property’s layered identity rather than a conventional collection, the initiative has commissioned works that quietly inhabit the architecture and landscape of the hotel itself. In 2015, it started with Beatrice Pediconi’s video work for the guestroom TVs, followed by paintings by Stanley Whitney, Rita Ackermann, and Caragh Thuring.
Art by Rita Ackermann, photo by Brechenmacher & Baumann, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Lucy Stein’s Mermaids tile work, Matt Connors’s Continuous Color Circuit (Columns) installation, and Alex Israel’s Amalfi Dr. palm tree mural join not-miss works like Martin Creed’s Don’t Worry neon—a fixture in the hotel’s cult-favorite speakeasy bar of the same name—and Caroline Bachmann’s 20 seascape paintings. The latter reinterpret the shifting light and atmosphere surrounding the nearby Li Galli islands, embedding the Amalfi Coast directly into the visual language of the hotel. Together, these contemporary interventions exist in dialogue with the antiques and artworks collected over decades by the Sersales, fueled by a spot-on instinct for balancing tradition with experimentation.
Aldo’s Bar, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Artwork by Caroline Bachmann, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
This summer, as Le Sirenuse celebrates its 75th anniversary, it reveals a new chapter with the debut of Le Sirenuse Mare—a long-awaited beach club in nearby Nerano’s Marina del Cantone. Five years in the making, the expansive 27,000-square-foot seaside destination extends the spirit of the hotel onto a series of terraced spaces descending toward the water, complete with restaurants, bars, an Emporio Sirenuse flagship boutique designed by Anne-Sophie Rosseel, and a significant contemporary art program, featuring works by Rose Wylie, Bosco Sodi, Giuseppe Ducrot, Alba Clemente, and Lucio Liguori. Designed by Annarita Aversa with landscaping by legendary Italian landscape architect Paolo Pejrone, the project continues the Sersales’ longstanding dialogue between architecture, craftsmanship, art, and landscape.
Le Sirenuse, photo by Eliza Jordan.
“At Le Sirenuse, the hotel I inherited from my father, we like to take the long view,” said Antonio Sersale. “Three-quarters of a century after my family turned their seaside home in Positano into a small hotel, a project we’ve pursued for decades is finally coming to fruition. And we couldn’t be prouder: Le Sirenuse Mare distills the dolce vita spirit, the pursuit of quality, and the love of beauty of its parent property in a spectacular beachfront setting.”
Le Sirenuse Mare, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Le Sirenuse Mare, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Whitewall spoke with Antonio and Carla about the legacy of Le Sirenuse, the evolving role of hospitality today, and how three generations of their family have shaped one of Italy’s most coveted cultural destinations.
Debuting Le Sirenuse Mare
WHITEWALL: This year, Le Sirenuse opened its first-ever beach club, Le Sirenuse Mare, in nearby Nerano. How would you describe this atmosphere? What artworks, furniture pieces, and design details make the space unique?
ANTONIO SERSALE: Le Sirenuse Mare, in many ways, is a natural continuation of how we think about Le Sirenuse in Positano—always guided by the place itself, and never trying to impose something onto it. Nerano has this quiet, unforced beauty, and we simply tried to respond to that as honestly as we could.
Art is an essential part of the beach club. It comes from a fascination with how artists can look at a space and, through their work, reveal something of its beauty back to you. I’ve always loved that idea: that an artwork can surprise you, but also make you see the beauty of what was already there.
At Le Sirenuse Mare, the art is not treated as decoration. It’s woven into the landscape, so you come across it as you move through the space. Ducrot’s fountain on the upper terrace and the works by Rose Wylie, Bosco Sodi, Prince of Sun by Dominique CJ Mansullo, and Alba Clemente appearing more quietly in the gardens and paths… Everything else follows the same thinking: the architecture, the materials, even the furniture, so that it all feels like it belongs to the coastline, rather than sitting on top of it.
“Art is an essential part of the beach club.”
—Antonio Sersale
Art in a Hotel Setting
Courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: Collecting artworks, antiques, textiles, ceramics, and more is something that’s been in your family for decades, spearheaded particularly by Franco, your father, who was a traveler and photographer. In what types of spaces did you first explore art? What things filled the space when you were growing up, and how did that shape what you have adoration for now?
AS: I started going to museums mostly with my father, who had a passion for art. He loved textiles, primitive art, and old masters, with a dose of antiques. It taught me to appreciate beauty, to develop a taste, and to have the confidence to buy an artwork for its intrinsic beauty and no other factors.
My passion for contemporary art started in the last 20 years of my life. Today, I love textiles—and contemporary art with a focus on painting.
Antonio Sersale, portrait by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Le Sirenuse Mare, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: What’s seen in your personal home, versus what we see in Le Sirenuse?
AS: Both collections are similar. They span centuries and have a solid component of ancient art.
WW: How has your taste and interest expanded over the years, especially as you’ve developed relationships with artists and institutions?
AS: I now more attentively follow the contemporary art scene. When I visit a city, for whatever reason, the first thing I do is search for the current exhibitions in galleries and museums.
Growing an Art Collection
Photo by Brechenmacher & Baumann, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: How has your collection evolved?
AS: It has grown more focused and confident.
WW: In 2015, after your father passed away, you and Carla created a contemporary art commission program, bringing in artists each year to create site-specific works. Now, over a decade later, what importance does this program have to the hotel?
AS: It is very important as it shows that the hotel is a living organism that is constantly changing while embracing the vision and work of contemporary artists.
Choosing Art for Hospitality
Courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: You mentioned that with each new work, “the challenge of finding the perfect home amidst the hotel’s busy design scheme becomes more difficult—and for that very reason, more enjoyable.” How do you approach this challenge hand-in-hand with the artist?
AS: The best way is to delegate this to the artist. It is the artist who, once having selected a home for the work, has to choose where exactly to place it. This forces me to rearrange what is currently hanging there, and it becomes part of the artistic process.
WW: Tell us about working alongside your curator, Silka, to form this program and choose artworks. What is that collaborative communication like behind the scenes? What kinds of things do you keep your eyes open for?
AS: Our communication is constant and very open. When I see something I love, I communicate it to her, and vice versa. This allows me to expand my horizons and learn from her.
Artwork for Le Sirenuse Mare by Alba Clemente, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Emporio Sirenuse, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: Can you tell us more about the 2026 edition? Which artist was invited to create new work?
AS: We have just completed a wonderful painting and sculpture by Ida Ekblad, which now hang in our Don’t Worry Bar.
WW: 2026 also marks 75 years in business for Le Sirenuse. How would you describe the past 75 years in business in Positano?
AS: It has constantly grown in popularity, almost too much for its own good.
A Multi-Generational Approach
Le Sirenuse Mare, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Le Sirenuse Mare, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: Le Sirenuse is a multigenerational business, with your parents and your children part of its legacy. As Aldo and Francesco span an array of duties—from operations, communications, partnerships, programming, and more—how do you already see them shaping the next chapter of Le Sirenuse’s identity?
AS: I see them bringing their passion and energy into the business, allowing the hotel and beach club to keep up with the times.
WW: How do you hope they mold it in the future?
AS: It is their choice. I am enjoying the ride so far!
“I am enjoying the ride so far!”
—Antonio Sersale
Explore Emporio Sirenuse
Carla Sersale, portrait by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Emporio Sirenuse, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: Carla, you also run a global fashion and design line and boutique in Positano and now Nerano named Emporio Sirenuse, and your niece is part of it. How does your affinity for art, craft, and nature impact what choices you make there?
CS: My niece, Viola Parrocchetti, is our designer and creative director, and in many ways, her work reflects a rich layering of influences and inheritances. Her father was always fascinated by the complex cultural history of Capri—the island’s long tradition of welcoming artists, painters, writers, and poets. Over the years, he collected countless books on Capri and passed that passion on to Viola.
When we began working together, Viola also absorbed Franco’s aesthetic vision and intellectual curiosity. She spent seven years living in India—interestingly, the same number of years Franco spent in Tehran—and, like him, became an avid researcher of Central Asian textiles and patterns, particularly traditional suzani embroideries, rugs, and prints.
Her fashion emerges from this dialogue between places, cultures, and artistic traditions. Rather than following fleeting trends, Viola creates garments and patterns that seem to speak the language of an older world—timeless, layered, and deeply evocative. In many ways, she continues Franco’s legacy, not by repeating it, but by interpreting it through her own sensibility.
Evolving Perspectives to Improve Le Sirenuse
Emporio Sirenuse, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
Emporio Sirenuse, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: Positano is a special place. How would you describe it—its charm, its complexity, its proximity, its difficulties—to someone who’s never been?
CS: As John Steinbeck once said, “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoning real after you have gone.”
WW: Le Sirenuse is a seasonal destination, and when you’re not there for the summer months, your family is primarily in Milan and Rome. How does spending time in these other cities provide a sense of perspective, gratitude, and inspiration for the time you spend onsite at the hotel?
AS: My time away is always spent learning, exploring, and thinking of new ways to improve the hotel. My life revolves around the hotel, so even when I am away, my thoughts are always with it.
“My life revolves around the hotel…”
—Antonio Sersale
The Importance of Community
Le Sirenuse Mare, photo by Stefan Giffthaler, courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: There is a distinct sense of family that extends beyond your own—to your visitors and your employees. Many of the latter have worked with you for decades. How important is a sense of community at the hotel?
AS: It’s essential. It is what the guests love the most.
Courtesy of Le Sirenuse.
WW: If you could describe Le Sirenuse in three words, what would they be?
AS: Iconic, romantic, and timeless.
WW: What are you working on next?
AS: Looking for the next artist for Le Sirenuse.
