Grand Hotel Excelsior
Vittoria is a hotel of tantalizing contradictions. The picturesque property
enjoys a prime position on Sorrento’s bustling central square — Piazza Tasso — with
its enviable people watching and pleasant after-dark buzz. Though the retreat also
stands in splendid isolation on five acres of lush parkland, boasting some of the
best sunset views in Sorrento from its clifftop perch.
This grande dame of
the Sorrento shore celebrates its 190th birthday in 2024, but legend has it
that the hotel stands on an ancient site where Roman emperor Augustus built his
summer villa.
The toga-clad autocrat
isn’t the only notable name to stay on these grounds. Silver screen talents
like Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Jack Lemmon all visited the Excelsior
Vittoria in their day, and monarchs, politicians and artists favored the
establishment while exploring Italy as part of the 19th-century aristocracy’s customary Grand Tour of Europe.
Grand Hotel Excelsior
Vittoria is a hotel of tantalizing contradictions. The picturesque property
enjoys a prime position on Sorrento’s bustling central square — Piazza Tasso — with
its enviable people watching and pleasant ...