CAPRI’S OLDEST HOTEL, BORN AS A 19TH CENTURY GUESTHOUSE FOR ARTISTS ON THE EUROPEAN GRAND TOUR, RE-DEBUTS AS A SUN-SOAKED SOPHISTICO ON ITALY’S MOST GLAMOROUS COAST

BY AMANDA McCOY

In the early 1800s, creatives roving through Italy’s heaven-soaked isle of Capri often stopped to rest overnight at Locanda Pagano, the personal villa of celebrated Italian Rationalist architect Guiseppe Pagano and the island’s first hotel. Lured by human connection and late-night conversation, Pagano opened his home to a flurry of travelers over the years, many of whom were artists, writers, musicians, and painters who paid for their lodging in art: penning poems, crafting cords, or painting murals on the furniture and walls. Over time, Pagano’s offbeat guesthouse became known among globetrotters as the Artists’ Hotel, a vital stop on the European Grand Tour and a fixture of Capri long before it became the yacht-dotted jet-set capital it is today.

During the latter half of the 19th century, news of Capri’s almost-mythical dreamscape swelled throughout Europe, and the Italian isle became an uber-popular resort destination for high-rolling vacationers. Set mere steps from the colorful café tables of Capri’s famed Piazzetta, where movie stars are often glimpsed sipping macchiatos in the morning sun, Pagano’s quirky flophouse (which underwent a series of name changes over the years, including Hotel Vittoria and Hotel Pagano before eventually graduating to Hotel La Palma in 1922), remained an integral point in the Capri skyline. But as the island’s stature continued to rise, thus did options for five-star decadence that far out-rivaled the historic hotel.

In 2020, Hotel La Palma was acquired by the Oetker Collection, the German hospitality luminary behind legendary sanctums like the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc along the French Riviera and the Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa just outside Germany’s Black Forest. Oetker Collection hotels are dripping in prestige; each property in the brand’s small 12-hotel Masterpiece Collection is meticulously hand-picked for its cachet, charisma, and cultural significance.

The new owners immediately employed a full-scale renovation, closing reservations for a full two years to reimagine the storied hideaway as a posh, five-star experience in the heart of Capri town. The overhaul, which marks internationally deco rated interior and furniture designer Francis Sultana’s hotel debut, reduced the guestroom count from 72 to 50 and added a host of new dining and glass-clinking options including a glamorous rooftop restaurant and off-campus beach club and a full-service spa.

The approach is classic Italian romance: an ivory palazzo along the buzzy Via Vittorio Emanuele is lined with palm trees and tinged with the vivid hues of vintage bougainvillea. Once inside, the breezy lobby features sparkling white floors and vaulted ceilings donning hand-painted frescoes by contemporary artist Roberto Ruspoli. Soft blues and organic greens are thoughtfully employed to off-set the ample use of white, an ode to the 1950s jet-set era.

There are 11 light-soaked room types to choose from, all draped in calming ocean-inspired hues and finished with private balconies and deep soaking tubs. The flagship La Palma Suite ranges from two to five bedrooms and stretches up to 2,174 square feet. Designed to exemplify la dolce vita, the capacious suite boasts a loggia terrace, freestanding dining room, expansive master bath, and dedicated host, plus a complimentary day at Da Gioia Beach Club’s private beach.

There are a few different opportunities to clink glasses over fresh calamari on the property, including the signature Gennaro’s helmed by Chef Gennaro Esposito, the culinary juggernaut behind the two-Michelin starred Amalfi Coast mainstay Torre del Saracino. Lemon-tinted tables are piled high with the classic flavors of 1950s Capri, from starters of fennel, avocado, and yogurt to follow ups like citrus risotto with saffron, langoustines, and dill. Mains span roasted squid served Capri style and a juicy rack of lamb, while sweet endings include Neapolitan baba with custard and wild strawberries.

For more casual affairs under the Mediterranean sun, there’s also a brand new pool deck offering refreshing bites of farro salad, tuna burgers, and a stacked veggie club alongside signature cocktails (zero proof and alcoholic) and Italian wines. But nestled into a lounger in a buzzy beach club is the best way to indulge in the high life, and La Palma’s version serves thrills aplenty. Located a short drive off site along the island’s southern tip, Da Gioia is the hotly anticipated relaunch of the iconic ‘70s club and offers a box seat to the glitz and glamour of the constantly buzzing Marina Piccola. Here, champagne afternoons bliss fully melt into DJ-soaked evenings as guests feast on lazy lunches of lobster pasta and salt-crusted seabream in the heart of Capri’s legendary social scene.

Rates begin around $1,700 per night.

Hotel La Palma

Via Vittorio Emanuele, 39, Capri

oetkercollection.com/hotels/hotel-la-palma