It was built by my family between 1860 and 1865 and housed the local boat club, Canottieri Italia di Napoli, as well as the offices of the Port Authority. It was also the residence to the most famous tailor in Sorrento, who dressed the most elegant and refined men on the peninsula.
One of my most precious childhood memories is of gripping my grandmother’s hand tightly as she led me through the majestic corridors of our family hotel in Sorrento. I remember the jingling sound of her keys as hung around a metal ring that she always held in her other hand…it seemed like the sound of a magic spell. Those mysterious keys had the power to open any room in the hotel, revealing a fairytale world where my childhood daydreams could come to life
I held that dreamlike memory close for my entire life, and was finally able to make it come true when my siblings and I decided to restore this palazzo set on the port of Sorrento, which was left to us by our father.
The building was in severe disrepair and the restoration work took years. We began with the first four rooms on the first floor, and over the following years moved upstairs to renovate the second floor, tower, and reception area. We wanted to conserve as much of the original architecture and unique design details as we could during the restoration process, including the terracotta floors from 1865, some of the original majolica tiles, a Venetian armoire dating from the 1700s, and the terrazzo tiles lining the entry.
I have passed down the same passion for hospitality that I inherited from my grandmother to my own daughter Alice, who works with me and shares the joys of hosting guests from across the globe.
Today, Marina Piccola 73 is a jewel of 19th-century architecture, meticulously renovated with elegant interiors that seamlessly pair contemporary design with vintage and antique treasures.