LIVING LIKE column: The Italian Living Style We Love at The San Pietro Hotel in Positano

our last night in Italy 

(under the lemon trees) at da Paolino restaurant in Capri 

check out our Italian Style board

LIVING LIKE Column:
What We Love About The Ease of Italian Living Style, 
With Views of the San Pietro Hotel in Positano 
(and, a recipe share from our travels)

The Stunning San Pietro Hotel is carved into the rocks 

in the hills of Positano

while the lobby and bar at the San Pietro

have a classic interior design style, 

the rooms are more modern with brighter colors, tile floors and a living-at-the-beach vibe

all images below from the San Pietro Hotel in Positano 

 I cannot choose the region of Italy I love the most because they're all so unique, and there are so many great communities spread out throughout the country.  If I must highlight just one- I think of my visit to a Villa in  Venice, then I dream of my honeymoon in Florence, I remember running through Rome, Capri and Milan, antique shopping in Parma but, the coast of Positano has my heart.  To me, Positano has the quintessentially Italian style I adore.  Just thinking about being there I am transformed to rocky cliffs, soaring views of the ocean, lemon trees, thick handmade pottery on every table (made locally in hills of Ravello).  The Italians love to drive fast on these twisting turning roads (it's both exhilarating and terrifying) and this is a metaphor for how they live, eat and design.  Italians pay attention to the smallest details, yet they love all things simple and live life with abandon. Their cuisine is my favorite on the globe with an emphasis on the finest, quality ingredients (good, quality olive oil, ripe tomatoes).  If it's simple, it's divine yet they put a lot of detailing into all this simplicity.  I want to emulate the Italian gardens in my home, the Italian way of living, the Italian table and Italian interior design.

Most of my Italian friends have beautiful homes but their homes are not overly cluttered and there is an emphasis on modernity yet their kitchens are bustling and busy and overflowing. There is often an emphasis on the outdoors with a cook's garden near by offering fresh herbs for the taking.  What I love about Italian interior design is the boldness, no apologies for mixing medieval tapestries with fresh bright painted furniture and keeping old and crazy modern altogether in one space.  It's refreshing, and there are no rules, yet it works.

I had the great pleasure of staying at the world-class hotel, The San Pietro in Positano (not once, but twice and fifteen years apart).  First time was on my honeymoon, and second time was on a mother-daughter trip with my daughter and my mother.  Neither of them had ever been to Italy before, and we ate up the experience.  I think this hotel embodies Italian Living Style at its finest.  Nestled in the cliffs with beautiful vistas and walkways that meander throughout the property, there is something unique and beautiful to look at in every corner of this resort.  Our rooms had tiled floors and were designed with fresh, turquoise and blue hues yet the historic essence of the hotel was evident with antiques peppered into the decor. It was a lovely medley of old and new, yet high-style all put into the Italian pot and stirred.  The gardens are gorgeous and overflowing, and we took a 400 step walkway up to the vegetable and flower garden cut right into the rocks. The rooftop pool is small and simple, but perfect.  They have a beautiful indoor/outdoor dining space on a terrace overlooking spectacular views, and the food was delicious.

The San Pietro room are fresh and modern in feel

And, let's finish with a recipe share...

I ate this Caccio e peppe while visiting the Amalfi Coast and now I make it often for my family.  It's a simple pepper pasta and cheese dish, but it does take some practice to get it right.  

Tamara's Caccio e Peppe Recipe:

1 lb Spaghetti

1/4 cup butter

2 TBS good olive oil

(classic recipe calls for only olive oil, but I like the butter)

1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiana cheese

1/4 cup coarse black pepper (from the pepper mill)

about 1 full ladle of pasta water

the olive oil and 2 TBS butter in a deep pan on medium till melted.  add the pepper and stir until toasted (you will smell it).  In the meantime, in large pan add a small amount of water (just enough to cover the pasta), boil and add the spaghetti.  When still crunchy (about 2 minutes before box instructions for cooking) take the pasta out of the pan with tongs or a strained ladle.  Add a touch of water from to the pasta pot stirring constantly.  Add the rest of the butter.  Keep adding small amounts of the water until it's not dry. Turn off the heat and add the cheese small bits at a time, stirring constantly.  Taste to see if pasta if cooked "to the tooth" and firm but not crunchy and serve immediately.

Happy Nesting

XO Tamara