San Michele Estate & Hotel

Note: This essay and the history below was written by a guest at the hotel who was so smitten by The San Michele, that he was compelled to put his observations, and the conversations he had with the owner, in writing.

Father and daughter worked in harmony to rebuild and re-furbish the old house and their success is apparent from the first view of the "stately home" which looks out over the Tyrrhenian Sea - in clear weather to the most active of Italy's volcanoes, Stromboli.

 It is a feast of colour with creepers adorning the front of the house facing the sea and balustraded terraces  softening in the evening light; classic louvered shutters sit open wide by the Byzantine curved windows. Any  observer who has seen the sights of Rome will recognise the inspiration of the Spanish Steps in the staircase to  the family apartments. The principle reception rooms exude luxury and elegance in the furnishings and careful  arrangements of flowers and pictures.

Much of the 44 hectares (about 110 acres) is farmed using traditional methods - known as "organic" to produce supplies for the dining room - circa 90% of what guests eat and drink. The chickens run free in their compound, cattle, sheep and goats - all locally bred - are farmed for meat and milk. Grain crops are grown to feed stock and guests so there are always fresh baked croissants and bread in the breakfast buffet, free range eggs for the discerning, jams and honey from the hotel's fruit gardens and apiary. Fresh pasta served at the dinner table is made in the kitchens and accompanied by the estate wine from the cellars.

A trip to the cellars takes the visitor into an underground world where the smells of yesteryear tease the nose. It is a short climb from the bathing pool terrace to the entry to the stone caverns quarried into the hillside that serve the house as cellars. Inside under the arched roof lit by a few fluorescent tubes are stored all the hams and cheeses of the best Italian tradition cheek by jowl with stainless steel vats, wooden barrels and bottles of wine .

Part of the land near the road is given over to a testing nine-hole golf course, which has its own bar and catering facility. The farm buildings and golf clubhouse fit discretely into their surroundings and every effort has been made to preserve the integrity of the landscape. Both farm and golf course are cared for in the most natural ways - the only chemicals used are kept just for the golf greens - the fairways of the golf course are mowed regularly to provide a fair lie but indigenous weeds sit side by side with the grass.

The Hotel has its own small beach, nestling at the foot of the cliffs. Access to the beach is by a lift designed and installed using the civil engineering know-how of the Siniscalchi family. The entry to the lift is inside the hotel gates just a short walk down the drive passing the lemon grove where the fruit trees stand in a colourful carpet of flowers. It is a smooth ride down the 450 or so feet of the lift shaft and a short walk and a few steps bring you to the shingle.

Every visitor comfort is provided on the terraces above the beach including shelter from the sun, a well-stocked kitchen and bar run with the same friendly efficiency as in the hotel. On one day of our visit the sea was stirred up by high winds and a lifeguard kept careful watch lest the unwary tangled with the waves. Again when we were there (May 2004) the improvements and modernisation programme was in full swing. A bonus from a trip in the lift is an easy walk along the public beaches to the small harbour where fishing boats share moorings with pleasure craft.