For his fifth property, Francis Ford Coppola goes back to his ancestral roots.
“Bernalda bella.” Those were the words Francis Ford Coppola’s grandfather used to describe his birthplace, the quiet hilltop village of Bernalda, Basilicata, in southern Italy. The Godfather director first visited 50 years ago—and has now opened the nine-room Palazzo Margherita(64 Corso Umberto, Bernalda; 39-0835/549-060; doubles from $430), where his daughter, Sofia, was married last August. The interior of the 19th-century estate was dreamed up with the help of French interior designer Jacques Grange, whose clients have ranged from Yves Saint Laurent to New York’s Mark Hotel. Rooms feature restored frescoes, claw-foot tubs, and Juliet balconies overlooking a courtyard garden. In the brick-vaulted kitchen, guests learn to cook regional dishes such as spaghetti with bread crumbs and anchovies. There’s also a screening room with a library of 300 classic Italian films—all selected by Coppola himself.
Italy’s top chefs seem to agree that all roads lead to you-know-where, with a clutch of new restaurants relocating to the Eternal City.
Chef Oliver Glowig was the first to make the move to Rome with his namesake restaurant at Aldrovandi Villa Borghese(dinner for two $250), serving inventive Mediterranean dishes, including spaghetti all’amatriciana with prawns and tomato sorbet.
Chef Lucio Sforza relocated his renowned L’Asino d’Oro(73 Via del Boschetto; 39-06/4891-3832; dinner for two $160) from the historic Umbrian town of Orvieto. Tables at the 40-seat restaurant—known for rustic regional specialties such as wild boar—have become the most requested in town.
Up-and-comer Giuseppe De Rosa made a shorter journey—just across the city—to open the sleek Brò Porta Portese(2-3 Largo Alessandro Toja; 39-06/581-3500; dinner for two $140), which showcases his distinctive takes on local favorites such as smoked eggplant with roasted octopus and crisp Parmesan chips.
Milan’s latest attraction is a sauna inside an orange-painted 1928 tramcar in the garden of the TermeMilano spa. The interiors are clad in teak, reflecting the tramcar’s original traditional design.
Valeria Waterhouse is Travel + Leisure's Italy correspondent.
