Luxury Travel Guide 2017

10 CORPORATE VISION / Luxury Travel Guide , Palazzo Marzoli Outside of the thrumof life in its major cities, the Italian countryside settles into an idyllic existence, perched betweenmodernity and serene charm. There are very few places in this ‘other’ Italy that capture the imagination and the heart quite like the Amalfi Coast. Unesco describe this stretch of land to be an outstanding example of aMediterranean landscape – a beguiling environment with history andmysticismabound, by villages that take full advantage of the stunning scenery, such as cliff-side, beach-fronted village of Positano. It is here where the PalazzoMarzoli Resort makes its mark on this intoxicating country. Positano itself is a miracle of the human endeavour to master the environment, being perched along a vertiginous cliff, with houses tumbling down towards to the sea, all shades of pink, peach and terracotta. Wisteria, fashionable boutiques and gelato stands make for welcome reminders of the Italian clime, while the steep cobble-stoned streets offer visitors a chance to uncover secrets tucked away in this idyllic Mediterranean retreat. The Palazzo Marzoli Resort is not so suggestively hidden, being situated along the Via G. Marconi, the winding main thoroughfare that snakes its way along the mountain with Positano hemmed in along the bay below. Anybody journey south from Naples and Sorrenton, or coming north from Vietri sul Mare, will make their way past the Palazzo, and they may indeed view it as a much- needed pit-stop. For others, it is simply a retreat, an ideal place from which to spend hours in dreamy luxury. From this advantageous position towards the literal top of the town, this is a charming and engorging alternative to the classic hotels that dominate Positano. Doing away with such grandeur as would have once been enjoyed, many centuries ago, by Roman plutocrats and Lombard aristocracy, the Palazzo Marzoli instead offers its guests a chance to enjoy ample, bright spaces made comfortable a combination of modern technology and luxurious refinement, all within a building that has stood here since the late 17th Century. Being in the heart of the Amalfi Coast, there is a certain obligation to respect the timeless qualities of this landscape. As such, the building in which the hotel is situated today is completely renovated, though it would be hard to tell exactly where the new and the old begin – such is the attention afforded to respected the original architecture that the capitals of the façade still remain, alongside the old portal. As ferries and hydrofoils coast by in the distance, on their way north to Naples and the Island of Capri, the Palazzo settles lazily into the surroundings, the whiteness of its walls and the striking blue of the Vietri ceramics making it no more ostentatious than the other buildings in its vicinity. It is, quintessentially, superbly, Italian. Beyond the hotel’s architecture alone, the Palazzo does so much more than create an illusion. Its layout, its services, its furnishings, are all parts of a carefully-crafted goal to induce a state of total relaxation among the hotel’s guests. This takes many forms, some more discreet than others. All of the rooms, for a start, are blessed with a sea view. A solarium terrace outfitted with sunbeds and a romantic Jacuzzi tub are on offer for the moments when complacency takes hold and soothing comfort overtakes all else. Taking in the bright and airy spaces, the candid walls, fine linens, the supple furnishings, to the terraces and balconies of the rooms, with domineering vistas of the resort of Positano, visitors to the Palazzo can revel in the picturesque panorama dominated by cliffs that fall steeply into the sea. To create elegant atmospheres in the rooms, a playful display of colours shows a reinvigoration of the comfortable hotel abode. Wresting attention away from the sea view, as vital an element for the Amalfi Coast lifestyle as any, the dominant white and blue majolica and the Murano chandeliers compliment the headboards of the beds, hand- painted and depicting images of anchors, fish and other elements of Positano’s seafaring traditions. The rooms and suites of the resort, among the most exclusive hotels in Positano and Amalfi Coast, communicate glamor and charm and offer all the modern comforts: soundproof walls, air conditioned rooms, bathrooms with bath or shower, LCD TV, LED 32 , 42 and 3D 55-inch satellite TV, Internet access, telephone and mini bar. For guests of the rooms of Palazzo Marzoli resort, the sights become intermingled with the rich tastes. The sumptuous breakfasts carry with them the offer of being 32 , 42 and 3D 55-inch satellite TV, Internet access, telephone and mini bar. For guests of the rooms of Palazzo Marzoli resort, the sights become intermingled with the rich tastes. The sumptuous breakfasts carry with them the offer of being served in the room and on the terraces, furnished with table, chairs and sun loungers. For those that want to spend a holiday enjoying nature, choosing from marine routes or hiking in the mountains on the Amalfi Coast or in the Sorrento Peninsula, the resort of Palazzo Marzoli is able to provide a service for such excursions that goes beyond mere efficiency – with Wi-Fi accessible throughout, the options of requesting beauty treatments and massages delivered straight to the room, and a backdrop as gorgeous as Positano, competition is hard to come by. John Steinbeck, when he visited Positano in 1953, recorded it in Harper’s Bazaar as such: “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quire real when you are there, and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone.” In this light, the Palazzo Marzoli, with its own homely flavours and enticing embrace, intermingles its character with that of the village effortlessly.