Art collections and haute cuisine at Parker's Grand Hotel

Admiring Castel dell'Ovo, the cone of Vesuvius and Capri from one of its elegant rooms or from the tables set on the terrace where the inspired and pyrotechnic dishes of Domenico Candela, chef of the double-Michelin-starred George restaurant, are served, is one of the most exquisite and unforgettable experiences of a trip to Italia. The credit was first due to the marine biologist George Parker Bidder III, who, as well as being linked to the Biological Station of the Real Villa, now the Villa Comunale, used family money to transform what was once the Hotel Tramontano Beau Rivage into an essential hospitality address for Grand Tour travellers. Then it was the family, now represented by Giovanni Avallone, who took it upon themselves to preserve and make contemporary the elegance of Parker's Grand Hotel that so appealed to both Oscar Wilde (he registered under a false name) and Virginia Woolf. The mirrors, woodwork, clocks, tables and chairs adorning the reception rooms are virtually the same as they were then, while the rooms have been restyled. Among the artistic treasures, in addition to the collection of clocks, the presence of statues and bronzes made by the historic Chiurazzi Foundry, also founded in 1870, is worth mentioning: thus, dancing satyrs, victorious Venuses, young and old centaurs, the three Graces, Hercules and Ephebuses welcome visitors to the rooms and corridors, calling to mind the original specimens exhibited in the world's most important museums.