Tragara_Bespoke

Capri: hotel
Punta Tragara
1) The opening photo,
a view of the Marina
Piccola bay.
On this page, the hall
of Capri’s Hotel Punta
Tragara and the symbol
of its memebership
of the SLH Small Luxury
Hotel group and JDB.
By Roberta Roccati - Photos by Francesco Rastrelli
Of the symbols which the “*****L” which Hotel
Punta Tragara in Capri boasts perhaps the most
obvious is its L for luxury, a word which has long
been associated with this famous island and
which this hotel is certainly the symbol par excellence
of. What is certainly worth discovering,
however, is the special features behind each of
the 5 stars under which the hotel has dazzled
since 1973. Its first and incomparable distinguishing
mark is revealed in all its magnificence when,
after a pleasant walk from Capri’s square surrounded
by blooming bougainvillea you reach
Belvedere Tragara with its arched orange grove
terraces plunging sharply into the indigo sea at
Marina Piccola in front of the imposing Faraglioni.
The position is unique, the view unequalled,
the sun perfect. To enjoy the best of Capri all you
need to do is be there - in its 44 rooms and 5
suites whether you are relaxing in your room,
soaking in the jacuzzi, taking breakfast on the
sunny terrace, in the swimming pool with the
agave or lunching in the shade of its maritime
pines. Wherever you are you will get a wonderful
view of Saetta, Stella and Scopolo - these are the
names of the Faraglioni - and the luxuriant colours
of the bay which - and not by chance - were
chosen by Emperor Tiberius as the site of one of
his villas. And this is when a second characteristic
emerges, the history in which the walls of the
hotel are settled. It was built by engineer Vismara
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Great attention
to detail with a view
of the Faraglioni from
Art Suite number 60.
On the right hand page,
the swimming pool bar,
Penthouse Suite no. 6,
a portrait of Countess
Enrica Manfredi,
the consort of Count
Goffredo Manfredi
and the Director
of the hotel
Paolo Federico.
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Ristorante Monzù
overlooking the waters of
Marina Piccola.
Below, two creations
by chef Luigi Lionetti
who specialises in historic
dishes from the Capri
and Neapolitan traditions.
Above, pork in a bread crust
on a Annurca apple purée
and pilgrim scallops
on a bed of orange sauce
and a Taggiasca
black olive pesto.
as his private residence but both in his time and
under successive owners it was always a place
of celebrated gatherings and concerts leaving its
mark on Capri hospitality.
The mark it left on Italian military and political
history was even deeper when the villa became
the rest camp for the 15th fleet of the US airforce
after the Allied landings in Pontecagnano and
the location of the meeting between General
Eisenhower and Clark in the run up to the Allied
attack on Montecassino. Finally in 1973 the restoration
work by the Manfredi Counts made the
villa into a hotel, still with a very distinct personality
which is to be found in the many paintings on
the walls in a joyous combination of Capri style
and contemporary design furniture. But then it
could never have been otherwise and here we
are at the third ‘star’ for its fashioning by the design
genius, architect Le Corbusier who loved to
call Punta Tragara “an emanation from the rocks,
a spin-off of the island, a vegetal phenomenon,
almost an architectural lichen which has grown
up on Capri’s side”.
This sunny building, with its many, dynamic
floors has emerged “from the rocks to form a
refuge in which to shelter one’s body, heart and
thoughts”. And this is precisely the effect it still
has today on anyone who stays overnight, suspended
in place and time with the additional
appealing feeling that you are not a client of a
grand hotel but a guest at a villa.
The credit for this rare but not unique feeling
goes to one of Punta Tragara’s added values, the
extraordinary welcome which its staff gives you
in a happy mixture of discretion and cordiality,
professionalism and human warmth, devotion
and respect. It is not unusual for departing clients,
both first visitors an recurrent ones, to take
a while to check out andsay goodbye not just to
this heavenly spot but also of the people who
make it such a paradise on a daily basis.
One of these is undoubtedly its young chef Luigi
Lionetti whose passion and great talent has
made Ristorante Monzù - the Neapolitan take on
the French monsieur, the monzù was the head
chef of the aristocratic estates of the XVIIIth century
- into one of the brightest stars of the Punta
Tragara firmament.
Fresh and salt water:
an aperitif in the swimming
pool, a view from above
of one of the hotel’s
two swimming pools
overlooking Marina
Piccola, a detail
of the Penthouse terrace
and some of the room
terraces.
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Careful of the sea gulls!
They love both panoramas
and croissants!
In the other images
everything is ready
for a candlelit dinner
over the Faraglioni
contemplating the sunset.
Neapolitan and Mediterranean traditions with a
personal twist are the order of the day - the addition
of lobster to a plate of pasta, potatoes and
Provola cheese quite brings tears to the eyes! - ,
the sommelier’s wine suggestions are always
interesting and never intrusive and the choice
between the terraces plunging down into the
sea or the romantic swimming pool position are
both to be tried.
For Jean-Paul Satre, “Capri is sacred. The point is
not to see it but to feel a certain quality of emotion
there...”. And nothing could be simpler at
Hotel Punta Tragara.
www.hoteltragara.com
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