Villa Le Scale - Anacapri - Historical Residences

This summer I spent a week at Villa Le Scale.
To say it is beautiful is not enough.
I had the most wonderful time.
Being at the Villa is like being home, with a first class service.
If you want to have a peaceful, elegant, excellent service, and romantic place, I strongly reccomend Villa Le Scale.

I have been visiting Capri many times. So, I am aware that that this
island is a wanderful place. Nonetheless, only during my staying in
Villa Le Scale I fully experienced the fascination of Capri. The
building, the flowers, the water of the swimming pool, the kind and efficient hosts, everything seemed to teach how this place is unique. I regarded as a privilege the opportunity of being a student in a such a school.

As an international traveller, and an investment banker from New York, I have always been in search of a get-away, a place were I could go into another world and forget about the hussle and bussle of New York, a place where I could let my eyes wander far away from the sky scrapers, the cement buildings, the rush hour traffic, the masses of people marching back and forth from work without a momment to stop, and as the saying goes a place to 'smell the roses'.
Having travelled the world in search of such a place, I came to Capri 15 years ago, and found what I had always longed for. The majestic island gushing out from the beautiful blue azzure Mediterranean, with its lush vegetation, its lemon orchards, the perfume of its air filled with the fragrance of jasmine, honey suckle, the intertwining road of Via Tragara leading to the Faraglione, and the nights filled with thousands of stars with the reflection of the moon on the calm sea. I was mesmerized by the beauty, the calmness, and the elegance of Capri. For these reasons and many more, I have been returning to Capri ever since.
The place, ambiance, and service of where I would spent my few weeks of vacation has always been most important to me. Everything has to be in harmony with the spectacular feeling of the island. I guess you can say, I am a very particular traveller. There have been many times that I would enter a hotel, even a five star hotel and walk right out, as it did not capture my imagination, nor were the accomodations one of a five star hotel. I have probably stayed in almost all of the 'best hotels' in Capri, Positano, let alone in the French and Italian Riviera, but it wasn't until this summer that I truly discovered a little corner of paradise in this magical island...Villa Le Scale, where everything came together and made this summer a most memorable of all of my vacations.
The Villa is situated in Ana Capri, and as I call it like the movie 'Up In The Villa'. It is special and quite extraordinary. One feels like that they have entered their own personal villa. The gates open and the magic starts... How can I describe such a beautiful place with words? It is impossible. Purched up in Ana Capri, Villa le Scale is a historical home close to Villa Axel Monthe. In fact when the gates of the Villa would open, many visitors would think that this is the museum and the gardens of Axel Monthe. However, I would have to direct them further down the road. The Villa though quite private, provides you with a personal feeling.
The gardens are to die for. Every twist and turn in the garden opens into a secret corner. Rose gardens, the hidden fountains, the gazebo with jasmines climbing all over, the sound of the water fountains in the most magnificent swimming pool that I have ever seen, gives one the sensation that you are close to the sea. The beautiful 'Scale' or stairs that lead you to the Villa are covered by columns of honey suckle, wisteria, and exotic plants that I have never seen before. Then you enter the Villa.
The owner, Ms. Anna Maria Coronato, has attended to all the details with exceptional mixture of 'true' antique furniture, with her exquisite taste and a modern feeling of lightness and airiness. Every room is especially decorated to project the name assigned to it -- The Venetian Room, the Voyagour, The Collector, The Oriental, The Louix XVI, The Artist Room, and last but not least the Garden Suite. Each room is designed to capture it's name sake, with beautiful paintaings, private terraces that provide one with the view of the Mediterranean. Even the details of the bathrooms are something I have never seen in any other hotel or private home. The sunken Turkish bath rooms, like a mini swimming pool in your own private room. The details and color combinations, the exact position of the flowers in the room all seem to coordinate with the feeling of the room. Nothing is spared to accomodate the guests to a luxurious, private, intimate and romantic charming get-away.
The service is another thing. You are personally attended to by a professional staff who are there to accomodate your every need on a 24 hour basis. You are greeted in your room with champagne and exotic fruits when you arrive. Breakfasts, are everything that you could possibly wish for. Your wish is their command. And unlike other hotels, this is part of the service that the Villa offers its guests. You provide your own lunch and dinner menu at the pool side or any where else of your liking in the garden or privately in your room and prepared by one of the most prominant chefs in the Island. The produce are bought fresh on a daily basis for the menu selected. The staff friendly, and always smiling. One feels as if you know everyone for years.
When the night arrives and you enter the Villa, the lights in the garden once again bring out a different emotion. Oh, how magnificent, how dramatic a place for lovers you can just drown in all of the beauty.
I wonder if paradise could be any more beautiful than this!! I finally found my home, my place of refuge and solace, far away from the problems of the world. I have entered my world of fantasy and imagination, the warmth of the splendour of the most spectacular Villa in the most magical island in the world.
Now, I know where I will come forever. I found it... paradise on earth.
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Will sharing our experience forever change the place we fell in love with on the isle of Capri? Will others appreciate and respect Anna Maria Coronato's thoughtful and elegant restoration of her family's magnificent villa, its history and its heart? Let me preface my remarks with a bit of a disclaimer: for those simply looking to spend a day or so on Capri in order to check Capri off their list of "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," there are a myriad of other options on Capri. However, if a week or two on one of the most enchanting islands in the world isn't a completely bizarre proposition for you, Villa le Scale may provide the perfect venue for experiencing both Capris that coexist to this day. While one Capri has clearly evolved into a caricature of itself as the ferryboats disgorge day-trippers by the thousands into the piazetta and novelty shops, the other Capri lies in wait for those who care enough to look beneath the surface of this island of unparalleled natural beauty. Capri's dramatic landscape, her sea and her people are as interesting and inspiring now as before. Let's return to our beginning. Our honeymoon on Capri began July 19th. While we were initially lured to Capri by its reputation for sun, the sea and la dolce vita, we were also intrigued by the legends of the gods, emperors, fishermen and artists who have all called Capri home at various times in the past. Months of research on everything from villas, including a home carved into a cave high on a cliff overlooking Marina Piccola, numerous hotels, B&Bs and even the option of living aboard a chartered sailboat seemed to lead us in circles. Questions, doubts and more questions followed. Nothing seemed quite right for this special moment in our new lives together. We finally narrowed down the possibilities one by one, ruling out virtually all of the hotels, private villas and boats, ultimately searching only for something intimate, quiet and comfortable. We secretly dreamed of being indulged, even pampered. One day, by chance and perhaps destiny, Google led us to Umberto D'Aniello's beautiful photographs of Capri and Villa le Scale. We both knew immediately that we had found our home for our two weeks on Capri. Songbirds woke us every morning for breakfast, served on our private flowered terrace overlooking the distant sea. The pool's soft waters cooled us frequently during the day while the vibrant, shady gardens provided solace and peace. Norberto, Bindo and Annie always welcomed us back enthusiastically as we returned from our sun filled days and star filled nights. From the moment of our arrival to the tears upon our departure, our home in Anacapri was above and beyond our wildest dreams. If you are interested in uncovering the hidden richness of Capri, there is no better place to start. The rest is up to you.

My husband and I were married at Villa le Scale, which is owned by Ms. Anna Maria Coronato. The villa is more beautiful than you can imagine, the service more perfect and seamless than you could believe, and the food exquisite. We were lucky enough to have the entire Villa booked for our family for a few days for the wedding and were therefore able to see each of the rooms. Each room is unique and beautiful and the bathrooms in particular are jaw dropping. Ms. Coronato's vision as a designer and her expertise as an antiques dealer are seen throughout the house - it seems that every piece and installation has a history, a story, a vision that is fascinating to learn of from the owner.

You first know you are about to enter a different world when you are greeted by the Villa's porters in the piazza in Anacapri (their assistance is outstanding- although the Villa has only just completed its first season as a historic residence, the porters have worked for the owner for nearly a decade and it shows). You are led down one of the beautiful old footpaths of Anacapri to the Villa's front gate. The gate offers up little of the splendor you will see inside. The gate opens and the absolute majesty of the gardens is apparent as you look up the cascade of marble stairs that lead to the entrance of the Villa, where Norberto, the hotel manager, awaits you. His assistance with any needs or arrangements while on the island is impeccable, you are in very good hands. The gardens are truly spectacular and a testimony to the 25 years of service of the head gardener.

Ms. Coronato is a most gracious host, and my husband and we are forever grateful to her for making our wedding a day and a weekend that surpassed anything we could have created. It warms my heart to think of the woman who, via phone and email, poured her energy into organizing a wedding for us, realizing our dreams when we had not even met. She arranged the best musicians from Naples, the finest Neapolitan wedding cake, gorgeous roses to match the fine bone china service, and draped the gazebo where the wedding was held in silk, with candles all around. You can see the results in the Events section of her website - www.villalescale.com. She worked seamlessly with our coordinator, Piera Chervatin of Capri Eventi (a lovely, kind and patient person) and we could not have been happier and the arrangements could not have been made easier for us.

How do you describe how luxurious and how unique the quiet, the seclusion and the absolute privacy of the Villa are? One other reviewer commented on having stayed at the other five star hotels in the region and how they paled in comparison. Until we arrived at the Villa I did not quite believe that statement, having also stayed at other glorious hotels in Capri and having a similar love of the island. The reviewer is positively correct. Villa le Scale is a different experience altogether. It has to be seen, breathed, tasted, heard and felt to be believed.