The white icon of the Santavenere Hotel with its park and bay

The Santavenere looks like a rare and precious postcard. Set in the pine forest sprayed by water flowing down from the irrigation ditches and canals of the old mills, this hotel was imagined and realised by Count Stefano Rivetti at the dawn of the 1950s. An entrepreneur and visionary patron to whom we also owe the idea of the panoramic statue of Christ the Redeemer and other cultural and tourist intuitions, he personally contributed to the Santavenere's architectural design, even taking care of the soft, pinkish colours of the flooring, choosing fired Minturno ceramics and Vietri tiles, which have remained the original ones, as has much of the furniture, including chests, sailboats, boiserie, an arched external corridor coloured by bougainvillea. It enjoys its own private bay at the foot of an ancient watchtower, which can be reached by penetrating through a romantic grove or by strolling through the park with squirrels. Its breakfasts and brunches on the terrace, also designed for vegetarians and vegans, or by the baroque swimming pool like a jewel, open even to the non-staying public, are memorable for the sea view, the creative imagination of the chefs, and the kindness of the staff. It gives the impression of being a ship that sails the overlooking Tyrrhenian Sea, taking with it its entire park of Mediterranean scrubland extending over three thousand hectares.