Il Cannito

Ensconced in the hills above Paestum is Il Cannito, a four-room bed-and-breakfast opened in 2006 by Anna Maria Barlotti Gorga, a fiftysomething chef from the area. Spread across two houses dating back to the 13th century, Il Cannito is stamped with that brand of pared-down, old-meets-new chic that graces the pages of glossy 12-pound Italian shelter magazines. The rough-hewn beams are whitewashed; contemporary paintings and flat-screen televisions hang on the walls; the bathrooms are stocked with locally produced fig-scented toiletries in elegant little bottles. Wide terraces of bone-colored travertine are shaded by 300-year-old oaks, spotlit from below in the evening. With the help of her preternaturally healthy-looking children, Santa, 29, and twins Antonella and Nicola, 25, Anna Maria serves dinner (fresh spaghetti in spicy clam broth, baked sea bream) from her sleek professional kitchen, separated from the dining area by electronic sliding glass doors fitted into the centuries-old walls. During the day, guests are welcome at the Gorgas’ private lido on the beach just beyond the temples at Paestum. There are the requisite spots for campers in the grass parking lot; there are also sun beds, umbrellas, and a thatched-roofed bar and pizzeria with a large wooden deck.