Portofino
Trying to decide where we wanted to go on our most recent anniversary, we were drawn back to Europe, specifically an excursion starting in Milan bringing us up the Ligurian coast.
After touching down at Milan’s Malpensa Airport, we settled into the Four Seasons hotel, located in the heart of the fashion district on Via Gesù, also home of top fashion designers and luxury brands such as Thom Browne and Versace. The Four Seasons was a once a 15th-century convent, whose transformation more than ten years ago signaled a new degree of luxury in the city’s once staid hotel cityscape. Now, the property has its own private garden, nestled into the center of the hotel and surrounded on all sides with rooms and suites (below) looking down into it.
The property has been done over in a style that is modern yet timeless, highlighted by touches of vintage motifs and décor. Chairs and lamps hint at a time going back to the 1950s, but are set among 21st century counterparts and aesthetics closer to the current Milanese style. Soft colors and fabrics set the tone that you are at home and in your own posh quarters. And the structure of the building still retains its 15th century charm with surrounding arches in the garden, pebbled walkways and a sense of seclusion away from a bustling city just outside its walls.
The Four Seasons is also home to one of Milan’s more exceptional restaurants, La Veranda (below), where my wife and I enjoyed the first meal of our trip. La Veranda has seating inside and outside on the terrazza, where we enjoyed our evening. We embarked upon a four-course menu, overseen by Executive Chef Vito Mollica, that included dishes such as sweet scallop carpaccio enriched by creamy burrata and Calvisius Siberian caviar. Perfectly al dente risotto was studded with Iberian chorizo and Pamigiano-Reggiano, while properly gamey quail was stuffed with apricot and accompanied by goose liver and celeriac. Delicate turbot was emboldened with cheek bacon and creamed lettuce, and for dessert, almond crémeux came with tart rhubarb sorbet. All of this was impeccably served with an exquisitely executed wine matching.
In addition to La Veranda, the hotel also has the Il Foyer lounge in the lobby (above), where you can sip handcrafted cocktails and nibble light bites, or settle into the courtyard/garden outside in one of their cozy lounge arrangements and enjoy some sparkling wine and bar snacks.
After our relaxing stay in Milan, we drove a little over two hours to the Ligurian coast and the charming town of Portofino, which originated as a small, modest fishing village, but after the war quickly became the go-to destination for artists, celebrities, vacationers, and the just plain wealthy. Despite the demand tourism created, Portofino has retained all of the charm and glory that originally made it such an attractive destination. Much of this has to do with the government protection that has put a limit on development and preserved the natural habitat and parks that make up this quaint little town. Its tiny port is lined with colorful buildings and homes that have become a trademark of Portofino’s allure.
While Portofino isn’t that large, it does have a number of hotel accommodations to chose from. But it’s agreed that the long-time favorite is Hotel Splendido (above), now owned by Belmond Hotels. Driving into Portofino, we careered around winding, narrow roads where oftentimes you have to stop and hug the edge just inches from the nearly vertical hillside walls so that the oncoming traffic can get through. But as I looked out of my driver’s side window, there was the glorious sight of the deep blue, white-capped Ligurian Sea with its many little coves where rowboats anchored so that their occupants could take in the golden sun.
Those narrow roads continue into Hotel Splendido’s private entrance via a winding adventure up a hillside garnished with endless varietals of foliage, flowers and Cyprus trees to where the hotel is perched hundreds of feet above the city, looking down into the harbor. Hotel Splendido is a former Benedictine monastery, and just like the hillsides around it, it is also under historical protection. This might seem like a hurdle to many expanding hotel brands, but one of the core principals Belmond was founded on is respecting and preserving its community and improving it through their occupancy. This is evident in the design and alterations made to the property. There is tranquility and historical beauty radiating throughout the premises. Immediately after checking in, my wife and I took advantage of one of Hotel Splendido’s many amenities, its salt-water infinity pool overlooking the harbor. We settled into one of the perched terraces just above the pool, laid out our towels, ordered a bottle of San Pellegrino, donned our sunglasses and breathed in the salty fresh air blowing in from the sea. We had found perfect bliss then and there. My wife even said to me at that point, let’s get a home here. She wasn’t kidding. Now all I need is a few million euros to clinch the deal.
Annexed to the pool is La Terrazza restaurant (above). During the day, you can dine by the pool on wood-fired pizza, housemade pasta, fresh seafood, bowls of tiny Manila clams steamed open with white wine and garlic, or simply have some crudo di pesce to keep it light before you embark on the town in the evening for a more substantial dinner. La Terrazza extends down to the pool area, as well as up a terrace level where you can enjoy a superlative breakfast in the morning, have an Aperol spritz in the afternoon or listen to live piano music in the evening during cocktail hour, then have dinner in the dining room or outside, looking down on Portofino.
Splendido’s second restaurant—Chuflay (above)—is down in the harbor, set less than 50 yards from the water. Here we settled in to enjoy a lovely dinner while watching people come and go and fishermen docking their boats as we sipped a Ligurian Vermentino and set our gaze on the hillside, where Castello Brown, a house museum, is located.
Staying at Hotel Splendido for us was geared more around relaxation, and if this is what you seek, take advantage of the Spa, salt-water pool, wellness center, dining amenities or just stroll their tranquil estate. But if you are looking for some more physical activities, the hotel has a grass tennis court on property, can arrange a tee time at a nearby golf course or take you motorboating on the Liguria Sea.