Il San Pietro di Positano
Built into the cliff face south of Positano, with a lift cut through the rock down to its own beach
The Privata Perspective
The most dramatically sited hotel on the Amalfi Coast, and the quietest of the great Positano names. Carlo Cinque — Carlino to everyone — bought the cliff in 1962 because he thought it framed the best view of the village he loved, and built a hotel down the face of it. There is still no sign on the road. You turn off, and the building only reveals itself as you descend.
The 62 rooms and suites are terraced down the cliff so that every one has its own balcony or terrace over the water, and the bougainvillea grows straight through the architecture. What people remember, though, is the lift: a shaft cut through the rock that drops you from the lobby to the hotel's private beach at the bottom of the cliff. It is a serious piece of engineering and it removes the single biggest friction of an Amalfi holiday, which is getting down to the sea and back up again.
Zass holds a Michelin star and was the first restaurant in Positano — and the first hotel restaurant in southern Italy — to be awarded one. Down at the water, Carlino is named for the founder. It is a Relais & Châteaux house and feels like one: family-run in temperament, less scene than Le Sirenuse, and better if you want the coast rather than the village.
Accommodations
Classic & Superior room
Terraced down the cliff
Every room has its own balcony or terrace over the sea — there is no such thing as a bad view here, only a smaller one
Deluxe room
Larger, better placed
More space and the wider terraces, several with the Positano view rather than the open sea
Junior Suite & Suite
The upper categories
Separate living areas and the largest terraces; some have a whirlpool or plunge pool set into the terrace
Dining
Zass
Campanian fine dining
One Michelin star — the first in Positano and the first at a hotel in southern Italy. Terrace tables over the sea, and worth dressing for
Carlino
Italian, informal
Down at the beach, named for the founder. Lunch straight off the water, reached by the lift through the cliff
Alcova Bar
Aperitivo
The bar terrace for the hour before dinner, looking back along the coast toward the village
Spa & Wellness
The private beach at the foot of the cliff is the whole point, and the lift cut through the rock is what makes it usable — most Amalfi hotels leave you with a long walk or a boat transfer. There is a spa, and a boat for trips to Capri, the Li Galli islands and the coves along the coast. The gardens are terraced the full height of the property and worth the walk down.
When to Go
May–June
The bougainvillea at its best and the sea warm enough by June
September–October
Warmest water of the year and the coast much calmer; the hotel closes for winter
July–August
Full season and full house — book several months out for the terrace suites
Book With Preferred Access
Experience Il San Pietro di Positano with Via Privata
Complimentary upgrades, resort credits, early check-in, and dedicated concierge support — available exclusively through our preferred partner programme.
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