Hotellerie

Towards summer with novelties at the water's edge

From Sardinia to Lake Como: here is the map of hotels and resorts that welcome the new season by renewing design and experiences

by Federico De Cesare Viola

8 May 2026

La Spiaggia del Carrubo dell’hotel Santavenere di Maratea, che nel 2026 celebra 70 anni

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In Ischia, new life at Palazzo Manzi Terme
Santavenere's 70th anniversary on the Gulf of Matera

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The days are getting longer, the light is kind, the temperatures are forgiving, and the fares, to be pragmatic, even more reasonable. In this brief and precious window of late spring, a silent threshold not yet compressed by the rhythms of the high season, travelling is a smart gesture. And doing so with a sea (or lake) view is definitely better. The Italian hôtellerie is once again telling its story, with inaugurations, restyling, new experiences and brand new collaborations. All that remains is for us to choose the right destination, if we can decide.

Al Mandarin Oriental di Blevio è stato rinnovato il ristorante L’Aria, firmato da Herzog & de Meuron

A few days ago, the Mandarin Oriental, Lake Como, reopened, a resort that over the years has managed to carve out an important place for itself in the lively lake dining scene. After the restoration of the scenic floating swimming pool, the architects Herzog & de Meuron have reinterpreted the L'Aria restaurant: Italian marble, dark polished wood, antique pink fabrics and handcrafted ceramics create an intimate and sophisticated ambience that enhances the cuisine of chef Massimiliano Blasone, a happy marriage of local flavours and oriental techniques. The menu ranges from dishes cooked on the robata to a selection of raw fish to traditional Italian first courses with a modern twist.

At the Gran Hotel Fasano, a drink list that pays homage to the Garda area

On Lake Garda, the Grand Hotel Fasano - the former hunting lodge of the Habsburgs - has also inaugurated its new season and confirms itself as the ideal destination for those seeking a varied and high-quality culinary experience. There are in fact three establishments: Il Fagiano, a Michelin star, with a marked focus on the vegetable world; La Magnolia, a Mediterranean bistro; and Osteria Il Pescatore, which offers specialities of Brescian cuisine with an international twist. The new drink list at Rama's Lounge Bar, 'The Seven Wonders of Lake Garda', pays homage to the territory through cocktails such as 'Tramonto Tassoni - Meraviglia di Salò'.

Una stanza del Principessa Forte dei Marmi, Autograph Collection, nuova apertura della città della Versilia

It has the silhouette of a yacht projected towards the sea at the Principessa Forte dei Marmi, Autograph Collection, a newly-opened hotel ideal for savouring the off-season slow living of Versilia. Located directly opposite the legendary Capannina, the property has 36 rooms and suites and is home to the Marias restaurant, led by celebrated British chef Jason Atherton, assisted by executive chef Giorgio Cicero.

In Ischia, new life at Palazzo Manzi Terme

For a pre-summer remise en forme that sounds less like duty and more like pleasure, Palazzo Manzi Terme & Spa in Ischia remains an effective (and charming) solution. The hotel is home to the oldest thermal spring on the island, the 'Gurgitello' spring, famous for its properties. The waters, naturally rich in minerals, favour cellular oxygenation and metabolic regeneration. Even Giuseppe Garibaldi found relief there after the battle in Aspromonte, a circumstance that reinforces the therapeutic myth of the place.

Sushi e sashimi dal menu del Senzafine, nuovo ristorante dell’hotel Santa Caterina di Amalfi

Sushi and sashimi on the Amalfi Coast? Why not, if it is the one proposed by Senzafine, the new restaurant and cocktail bar on the rooftop of the Hotel Santa Caterina in Amalfi, the Gambardella family's historic five-star luxury hotel. On the menu, curated by chef Giuseppe Stanzione, Japanese gastronomic culture meets the Mediterranean without any identity complexes, as in the tartare of local fish with shiso leaves in tempura or the ricciola carpaccio with citrus fruits in dolceforte and Mediterranean ponzu with seaweed fritter, to be accompanied by the 'Calda Estate' mocktail, with pear juice, ginger syrup, lime juice and Jasmine tea.

The 70th anniversary of the Santavenere on the Gulf of Matera

Santavenere, which celebrates 70 years of history in 2026, has also been welcoming guests again for the past few days. Over the decades, this hotel with its discreet charm and rarefied atmosphere, overlooking the Gulf of Maratea, has attracted artists, writers and cultural stars. Spring is certainly one of the best times to appreciate its ten-hectare Mediterranean park and the pieds dans l'eau cuisine of Il Carrubo, one of the hotel's three restaurants.

L’Almarè Bar del Mazzarò Sea Palace di Taormina, con il restyling dello studio De.Tales

The Bay of Mazzarò in Sicily is another destination to experience before the usual summer onslaught. The Mazzarò Sea Palace - part of the VRetreats collection - presents itself with a renewed look for the lobby, restaurants and common areas. The De.Tales studio has signed an interior design intervention that enhances light, material and Mediterranean horizons through details such as tiles hand-painted by a local master and lamps inspired by fishermen's lanterns. The experience not to be missed? Pizza and Champagne (with a sea view, of course) on the Velvet panoramic terrace.

L’area piscina del W Sardinia, appena inaugurato a Poltu Quatu, in Gallura: è il terzo hotel

W Sardinia opens in Sardinia

A final stop in Gallura, to discover one of the most interesting openings of the season: the W Sardinia - Poltu Quatu, the brand's third hotel in Italia, after Rome and Florence. Carved out of a natural fjord, overlooking the Marina dell'Orso, the resort was designed by the Meyer Davis studio and has 157 rooms and suites and a Wet Deck with terrace and swimming pool. At the Tanit restaurant (named after the goddess of abundance) one can taste the dishes of chef Antonio Bisetto and in the Dolce Room the creations of master pastry chef Fabrizio Fiorani. A short distance away, the 7Pines Resort Sardinia in Baja Sardinia, immersed in a 15-hectare promontory overlooking the Maddalena Archipelago, confirms itself as one of the most dynamic experiential hubs on the island: from gastronomy - with the starred cuisine of Pasquale D'Ambrosio's Capogiro restaurant and the signature pizzas of Spazio by Franco Pepe - to wellness - with longevity programmes inspired by the Blue Zone concept in the Pure Seven Spa - to sport - with the tennis academy. But the real novelty is the collaboration with the designer Antonio Marras, who has opened a boutique in the resort: temporary: a path that through fashion, design, a concept store and installations on site, tells the most authentic Sardinia without the need for captions.