the hotels to book in Italy for summer 2026
There’s nowhere quite like Italy in summer. As the heat softens into long, saffron-tinted evenings, piazzas fill with the scrape of chairs and clinking glasses, cicadas buzz in the background to slow aperitivos, and the scent of salt still lingers on your skin. It’s also when the country embraces its enduring tradition of escaping the sweltering cities for the balmier coast or countryside. Across the towering Dolomites peaks to the olive grove-strewn Sicilian shores, Italy offers no shortage of beautiful addresses. These are the resorts and rural retreats to check into for a taste of the perfect estate italiana.
Villa Treville
High above Positano's glittering bay, Villa Treville still carries the creative spirit of its former owner, filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli. Negroni in hand, sink into jewel-toned cushions as fishing boats drift across the water below, before wandering through Moorish-inspired salons layered with mirrored antiques, hand-painted Vietri tiles and theatrical flourishes. The estate has played host to the likes of Maria Callas and Elizabeth Taylor, and much of the original fantasy remains thanks to interiors created with celebrated set designer Renzo Mongiardino. Today, four cliffside villas are threaded together by fragrant terraced gardens, hidden stairways and a secluded beach club where the only soundtrack is the lap of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Casa Lawa
Amid the oversaturation of ultra-minimalist interiors, Casa Lawa feels like a much needed (and more than welcome) breath of fresh, maximalist air. Founded by our gloobles friend Lukas Lewandowski, this guesthouse and artist-in-residence programme lies at the foot of Mount Etna, surrounded by an orchard planted with more than 300 cherry trees. Here, a centuries-old lava-stone building sits against candy-striped parasols and sherbet-coloured loungers, now a sought-after creative retreat on the Mediterranean island. Check out their ever-changing calendar of chef residencies, workshops and gatherings – and most importantly, claim a spot by the pool before everyone else does.
La Perla
Yes, the Dolomites are wonderful in winter. But once the ski jackets and snow boots have been shed, the rolling green valleys and fragrant forests promise just as much adventure. At the foot of the Sassongher in Corvara, La Perla has been run by the Costa family since 1956 and remains one of the region's most beloved addresses. Step inside and you'll find yourself wandering through a Ladin wunderkammer, with wood-panelled stube rooms, antique furniture, vintage skis and a delightfully eclectic collection of curiosities amassed over generations. Add to that one of the Alps' most impressive wine cellars, a Michelin-starred restaurant and nearly 70 years spent welcoming guests, and before long, you'll be scrambling for next summer's availability.
Parco dei Sesi
Cocooned within caper fields and volcanic stone walls on the rugged island of Pantelleria, this adults-only retreat began as the crumbling summer home of Massimiliano's father before he and his wife, Margot, spent six years bringing it back to life. The result is wonderfully lived-in: 12 rooms stacked with antiques, African art and ceramics collected on Margot's travels, Grown Alchemist toiletries, an artist residency that keeps the property evolving, and a kitchen where almost everything comes from the surrounding land. There are no room numbers, televisions, influencers, or booking.com listings. Just four hectares of carefully preserved volcanic landscape, time worn dammusi, and remarkably few reasons to look at your phone.
Pardini’s Hermitage
We would love to gatekeep this place a little longer, but some spots are simply too good not to share. Hidden on the coast of Giglio Island and reachable only by boat, Pardini's Hermitage began life as the Pardini family's summer home before opening its doors to guests in 1956. Founder Frediano built the property around a simple idea – “sole e mare in pace e libertà" (“sun and sea in peace and freedom”) – and remarkably little has changed since. There are just 13 rooms, a rocky cove for swimming, a gong that announces dinner, and a family kitchen turning out homemade pasta, fresh fish and vegetables from the garden.
La Sirena Filicudi
Leave it to a gallerist to recognise a masterpiece when he sees one. After falling for Filicudi, Sergio Casoli transformed La Sirena into one of the Aeolian Islands' most charming refuges. Centred around the tiny piazza of Pecorini Mare, the property is a hybrid mix of hotel, restaurant, beach club and gallery, drawing a loyal crowd of artists, writers, sailors and in-the-know travellers every summer. Expect whitewashed Aeolian-style rooms overlooking the sea and Mount Etna on the horizon, plates piled high with the day's catch, and a front-row seat to life on an endlessly captivating islands.
make a request for La Sirena Filicudi
California Park Hotel
Despite what the name might suggest, you're much more likely to leave California Park Hotel with a linen wardrobe than a surfboard. Shaded by maritime pines, just a short stroll from Forte dei Marmi's beach and boutiques, this family-run institution has been welcoming guests since 1971 and is now led by sisters Daniela, Cristina and Francesca Viacava. Francesca personally designs every room, layering bespoke furnishings, colourful fabrics and handcrafted pieces by Tuscan artisans. If you do manage to tear yourself away, borrow one of the hotel's bikes and join the parade of impeccably dressed locals pedalling into town for an aperitivo.
La Certosa di Maggiano
Just beyond Siena's medieval walls, La Certosa di Maggiano is a former 14th-century Carthusian monastery that’s lived many lives: first as a place of contemplation, later as a private residence for artists and creatives. Renovated in the late 1960s by legendary architect and set designer Renzo Mongiardino, the former monks' quarters are now home to rooms with a touch of the divine, from opulent headboards, patterned wallpapers, and the dreamiest pink-tiled bathrooms, to original frescoes and vaulted ceilings. Outside, Paradiso Selvatico, the estate's wild landscape of olive groves, cypress trees and untamed gardens, is an expression of the property's deep bond with the surrounding Tuscan landscape.
Masseria Moroseta
While driving through the Apulian countryside, between junipers sculpted by the wind and trulli dotted among grazing sheep, it isn't unusual to come across a masseria – the region's traditional farmhouse. But every now and then, one makes you pull over. Equal parts rural retreat and architectural mood board, the whitewashed estate of Masseria Moroseta reimagines traditional Apulian forms with striking contemporary design: oversized arches, sun-bleached courtyards, local limestoneand floor-to-ceiling windows framing olive groves all the way to the Adriatic. Gather around the communal table for farm-to-table meals and local wines, cool off in the pool, or trade dry land for the sea aboard one of the property's restored vintage Riva boats.
Locanda Cipriani
You might have heard of Murano or postcard-perfect Burano while navigating Venice's lagoon. But we'd encourage you to venture one stop further. Once the birthplace of Venice itself and now home to just a handful of residents, Torcello is all winding footpaths, wild gardens, Byzantine churches and, perhaps most importantly, Locanda Cipriani. Opened by Giuseppe Cipriani in 1936, the ivy-clad inn has long been a refuge for everyone from Ernest Hemingway – who penned Across the River and Into the Trees here – to Charlie Chaplin, Maria Callas, Queen Elizabeth II and generations of artists, writers and royalty seeking an escape from Venice's crowds. Today, Murano glass lamps still illuminate ornate rooms overlooking the gardens, canal, and leafy courtyard. If you can, ask for Santa Fosca, Hemingway's favourite room.
Albergo Diffuso Cà Spiga
You might not be lucky enough to have an Italian nonna, but a stay at Cà Spiga comes remarkably close. Tucked down the stone lanes of Laglio on Lake Como's quieter western shore, this eight-room guesthouse was once the owners' grandparents' home. Restored by brothers Andrea and Alessandro, the current generation preserved everything from the original patterned floors to the antique furniture, pastel-painted walls, copper cookware and Murano glass lamps from the family’s archives. Named after their great-great-grandfather Carlo, affectionately nicknamed "Spiga", every room looks out across the lake, and breakfast is served each morning with homemade cakes and cafetières on the terrace.
Capofaro
The Aeolian Islands have more than one trick up their sleeve and Capofaro might just be their best one. Sprawling across 4.5 hectares of Malvasia vineyards on Salina, the estate revolves around a 19th-century lighthouse overlooking Panarea and Stromboli, which has been guiding sailors home for decades. We'd recommend alternating between boat trips to secluded bays, hiking up volcanic peaks, and sipping generous pours of the island's famous sweet wine by the pool.
Villa Arnica
Straight out of a Slim Aarons photograph, Villa Arnica stopped us in our barefoot tracks at the clementine-striped umbrellas. Fortunately, everything else lives up to this sun-kissed vignette, too: a beautifully restored 1925 villa wrapped in vineyards, a library gazing out over the vines, a salotto with a record player always ready to set the mood, and a heated pool lined with sunshine-yellow loungers against a backdrop of South Tyrol's mountains. If wellness drifts to the top of your wish-list, Hotel Schwarzschmied's acclaimed spa is conveniently just across the garden.
Locanda Sospesa
One look at the hand-painted walls and porcelain-packed cupboards is enough for Locanda Sospesa to steal your heart. Folded into the medieval hilltop village of Pereta in Tuscany's wilder Maremma, each of the six rooms is a layered mishmashof painted antique furniture and floral wallpaper. Outside, lemon and grapefruit trees scent the straight-from-a-dream gardens, where a feast of freshly baked tarts and local pecorino awaits every morning beneath the loggia. Bellissimo.
Lo Scoglio
The Amalfi Coast has countless postcard-worthy places to bed down, though Lo Scoglio has managed to capture both our attention and our hearts. Founded in 1958 by Tommaso De Simone and run by the same family three generations later, this hotel sits directly on the shores of Marina del Cantone, with sea-facing rooms each named after a constellation, crowned with star-inspired frescoes and dressed in every shade of Mediterranean blue. Days are spent basking on the private beachand tucking into plates of spaghetti alle zucchine at the in-house restaurant, which feels like stepping aboard a boat.
make a request for Lo Scoglio
Alessio Christian Melis
Duality has shaped Alessio’s life for as long as he can remember. Raised with the warmth of the Mediterranean Sea and the Dutch directness, our editor juggles between his Sardinian and Indonesian roots much like he moves from new-wave cafés to small, family-run warungs. Morocco and Java are among his favourite destinations, yet his heart will always belong to his home city, Cagliari. Despite his love for art and museums, he doesn’t shy away from a nature hike – provided there are enough stops along the way – and seeks out every local way to experience a place. As a recent branding and editorial graduate from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, when he’s not planning his next (overly) curated weekend trip – and the outfits to match – he can be found writing, reading, or doing both at the same time.
