In Capri, the opening of La Palma was highly anticipated for several reasons. The location, next to the piazzetta, was one factor. Another was the brand, Oetker, the first in Italy within a collection that includes some of the world’s most beautiful hotels, such as the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc on the French Riviera. Then there’s the history, and let’s pause for a moment to delve into it. When it opened in 1822, it was called Locanda Pagano and was the island’s first hotel, intended to host poets, writers, painters, musicians, and all kinds of creative, hedonistic precursors to the future jet set. The prospects were enticing, the inspirations diverse, especially considering that Capri’s glamorous side has always enjoyed an eccentric and dissolute counterpart, attracting innovators and visionaries to the island, many of whom frequented the old inn, starting with the notorious Baron Jacques Fersen.
At the new La Palma, a complex of gleaming white volumes, there is no shortage of the glamour one expects in Capri, while simultaneously experiencing the intimacy that leaves “the whole world outside,” with great satisfaction. And even though the sea is not visible from the windows and terraces of the fifty rooms, that detached full immersion in the island’s bustle expresses the exact way of being there. Isolated, yet close to La Conchiglia bookstore, which sells only books about the island, to the Canfora shop, famous for making sandals for Jackie O, to the Taverna Anema e Core (right downstairs), where one dances on the tables to live music.
The “world inside” is pleasantly comprehensive. An elegant home designed by Francis Sultana, an interior designer known for his residential projects and now venturing into his first hotel project. And like in a residence, every space is individually conceived yet with a recognizable common thread. Thus, the rooms have different shapes, and the colors reflect the Caprese style, all white with that delightful touch of green/blue reminiscent of the cave water, which is found in various shades in the details, from the fabric stripes in the pool area to the tiles of the open kitchen, from the mirrors of the gourmet restaurant to the mosaic of the rooftop bar, yes, with a view.
And here opens the gastronomic chapter. Orchestrating it all is Casa Tua, the Miami-born lifestyle brand celebrating its 25th anniversary with its Italian debut, across four distinct spaces: an all-day Mediterranean restaurant, Fuoco, a rooftop terrace with wood-fired cooking and views over the island, Mare, a beach club at Marina Piccola, and The Club, an intimate late-night lounge.
