Treville Positano: the real Hotel Costiera is a star of its own

Italy is a country of amazing landscapes, but few are as beautiful as the 50-kilometre stretch of the Amalfi coastline. One of its most iconic villages is Positano, its houses appearing to cling to the cliff, with its cobbled streets tumbling down to the sea. It’s so picture-perfect that it has a starring role in many films and TV programmes, most recently as the location for Amazon Prime’s crime drama, Hotel Costiera.

The luxurious hotel at the heart of the series is Treville Positano, built into the cliffs overlooking Positano and the sparkling Tyrrhenian Sea. Discreet and luxurious, it was originally the home of Franco Zeffirelli, now converted into a boutique hotel that remains true to the maestro’s vision, surrounded by beautiful terraced gardens, including a vertiginous organic vegetable garden with fragrant lemon trees. Its 16 suites are spread across six houses over two hectares of gardens.

I stayed in the Callas suite, inspired by Zeffirelli’s close friend and muse Maria Callas. With high, curved ceilings and tiled floors, it includes a luxurious bathroom with stained-glass windows adding flashes of colour. It goes without saying that the linens and toiletries were of the highest quality, right down to the plush slippers branded in the hotel colours with an embroidered logo. But the real highlight of the suite is the private terrace and garden with a pool overlooking Positano, where the staff will bring you wonderful cocktails while you fantasise about living the life of the rich and famous.

While the individual suites pay homage to Zeffirelli’s influences, the public areas are almost exactly as he left them, complete with their original decorations, ceramics and photographs. It’s a rare feat to have retained all the exotic charms of the original home without it feeling like a museum. Finding that balance between theatrical high camp and quiet luxury is quite the trick, but nothing feels overdone or out of place.

The Bianca Bar is a Moorish-inspired sanctuary all in white, with ornate moulded ceilings and the original tiled floors, almost exactly as Zeffirelli left it. But now this pristine place is home to a celebration of botanical marvels, where the bartenders distil herbs and botanicals straight from the gardens to create memorable cocktails.

The hotel’s real showstopper is the dining terrace, part of restaurant Maestro’s, with its sea views. It features heavily in Hotel Costiera and, as you sit out on the shaded terrace, you can see why. If you want, head chef Vincenzo Castaldo will take you through a cooking class where you can perfect the art of making pasta, shaping different varieties and then cooking simple sauces using produce from the gardens. His enthusiasm was encouraging, although I doubt any of the chefs were worried for their jobs. But the simple pleasure of kneading dough surrounded by the sea and sipping espresso martinis made for a delightful afternoon.

We made cheese-stuffed anolini with a simple sage and butter sauce and fettucine with fresh tomatoes and basil. Mainly it was a lesson in how a few simple ingredients harvested at peak ripeness create much more than the sum of their parts.

Relax and admire the view from Treville Positano

In the evening we gathered on the terrace to enjoy more of the delicious food, including a salt-baked fish, more truffle-covered pasta and wonderfully fresh baked breads with olive oil for dipping. Single estate, organic and extra virgin, it was frankly good enough to drink. But what really brings this place alive is the attention of the staff.

If you’re looking to stretch yourself after all that food, there is a wonderful cliff-side gym with state-of-the-art equipment. For a more gentle workout, opt for the spa housed in a greenhouse transported from the set of Zeffirelli’s staging of the opera La Traviata. Shielded by lush planting and overlooking the sea, what’s left of any troubles you may have will be soothed by skilled hands using products from Dr. Barbara Sturm, whose cult brand harnesses science and nature to soothe all skin types, and who consulted on the spa’s development.

Take the time to enjoy the hidden plunge pool and steam room, sit and watch the sea, or wander down to the shore with its private terraces of loungers and umbrellas and steps leading down into the water.

From there you can also take a trip on one of the hotel’s boats. For instance, you could take a trip up the coast to Raito, near Vietri Sul Mare, a small town famous for its ceramics and home to Lucio Liguori the creator of much of the ceramic artwork on display at the hotel. His work is world renowned and exhibited in museums, but he took the time to give us a quick lesson on the terraces of Treville Positano, where we were even less skilled at throwing pots than we were at making pasta. But his joy in his craft was inspiring and his workshop is worth a visit.

Positano itself is full of shops selling local pottery, much of which is decorated with images of the local lemons. Once you’ve wandered through the bougainvillea-covered streets and visited the church, I suggest ending your trip at one of the beachside restaurants. We ate the freshest fish and seafood at Restaurant L’Incanto (lincantopositano.com).

Still, you may find it hard to leave the hotel. Treville Positano has been playing host to the stars since Zeffirelli bought it in 1969, including Leonard Bernstein, Liza Minnelli, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who was a frequent visitor. Now is a great time to visit with the heat of the summer past and the crowds gone home – you can enjoy la dolce vita in peace.

Natasha was a guest of Treville Positano. Prices from €830 a night. Visit villatreville. com for details.

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