Il Cannito

Rooms

The simple, chunky stone walls outside and the peaceful white, blue and brown palette inside lend a feeling of monastic chic to the 4 rooms. The bold wall art is by a family friend (lovingly described as a ‘crazy artist’), who also helped to create the eclectic yet unfussy interior design.

All the rooms are immaculately clean and come with firm kingsize beds, free-standing wooden wardrobes, silk cone lampshades and soft cottons. Each also has a wall-mounted LCD TV, a desk, a minibar, air-con and snug underfloor heating. Big windows, full-length mirrors and ravishing hillside views all enhance the feeling of calm, lofty and uncluttered space.

The largest rooms, Sole and Terra, sit beneath the main house and are reached via a winding flight of shallow wooden steps, prettily lit up at night. They share a furnished stone terrace encircling an ancient oak tree; Sole also has a private sundeck with loungers - we stayed here and loved it. If you’re feeling lazy or have rickety knees, opt for one of the 2 slightly smaller rooms, Mare and Luna, which are in the main house above the dining room.

The ensuite bathrooms in 3 of the rooms are dominated by state-of-the-art hydrosonic Jacuzzi bathtubs, which are said to assist lymphatic drainage and cell renewal. These reduce you to a puddle of bliss but, naturally, take a while to fill up. Luna’s bathroom has a shower with hydrosonic jets instead of a tub. All have hairdryers, fluffy towels, slippers and complimentary toiletries, adding to the luxury feel.

Features include:

• In-room treatments available
• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

Matriarch Anna Maria, a self-taught cook with 30 years' experience and a passion for regional cuisine, acts as the head chef. She uses secret family recipes and tends to avoid using wine or flour in order to bring out the subtle flavours of the meat or fish. All the seasonal ingredients are freshly bought daily or harvested from the family’s organic garden; they also make their own jams, compotes and fruit liqueurs.

The set menus change every day, with fish, vegetarian and meat options, and are served on the terrace or in the white-washed dining room with its contemporary glass tables and eye-popping lime-green chairs. They’re worth every Euro; our dinner of clam spaghetti with chilli, garlic and organic parsley, sea bream with piquant salad and tender baby artichokes, and feather-light chocolate cake with a gooey heart couldn't have been more delicious. Our alfresco lunch of breadcrumbed chicken strips with sweet balsamic vinegar and traditional chips, accompanied by a crisp, local white wine, was a delight, too.

Breakfast, included in the rates, is a generous spread of freshly-squeezed juice, yoghurts, fruit, cereals, mozzarella and pancetta toasties, and eggs and bacon (it's worth specifying just how crispy you want your bacon as many Italians eat theirs almost raw!). You also get melt-in-the-mouth vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, freshly baked that morning.

If you want to eat out there’s an excellent pizza restaurant and 2 agro-tourism farms serving lunch in Capaccio, a 4km drive away. There are also several beach restaurants down on the coast.

Features include:

• Organic produce
• Restaurant
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Don’t miss the stunning Greco-Roman town of Paestum (7km away), with its trio of beautifully preserved temples, defensive walls, and museum of pottery and frescoes
  
• Explore the surrounding Cilento National Park and Vallo di Diano to see forested summits, clifftop villages (Campora and Sant’Angelo), medieval bridges (Felitto), dark canyons (Laurino), resurgent rivers and age-old muletracks
  
• For pretty stretches of coastline, head south to the secluded beaches around Arena and Agnone (30-60 minutes away), where you can take boat tours to sea caves and cliff-ringed coves
  
• Drop into one of the 60 buffalo farms in the area to see ancient and modern equipment, watch leather goods being made, and try buffalo-milk ice cream
  
• Visit the historic hill towns of Castellabate and Capaccio, and the bustling harbour of Agropoli
  
• Head to busy Salerno for street life and café culture, Vietri sul Mare for ceramics, and the Amalfi peninsula's eastern villages (Cetara, Maiori and Atrani) for sheer beauty
  
• Explore the world-famous remains of Pompeii and Herculaneum, both 1 hour from Paestum by train, or the palaces, museums and gritty city culture of Naples (1.5 hours by train)
  
• Or just chill in the hillside infinity pool, surrounded by oaks and elms, the sweet scent of myrtle and juniper, and dreamy views

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Cooking classes
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Museums / galleries
• Plantlife / flora
• Private guided tours
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Traditional cultures
• Wildlife
• Yoga

Kids

Children aged 10 and over are welcome. Extra beds are available on request.

Best for:

Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Il Cannito is near Capaccio, a small town 100km south of Naples and 40km south of Salerno, in southern Italy. It's 7km from Paestum.

By Air
Naples Capodichino (100km away) is the closest airport. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving it.

From the Airport
Drive (see below) or take a taxi via Salerno to the hotel. The hotel can organise a taxi with an English-speaking driver (see Rates).

By Train
There are trains from Naples and the Amalfi coast to Paestum, taking 1-1.5 hours. Paestum is a small country station with no taxis - call ahead and someone from Il Cannito will meet you there.

By Car
A hire car would be really useful for exploring the area around Il Cannito - the temples of Paestum, the beaches and hills of Cilento. See our car rental recommendations. However, if you're also visiting the Amalfi coast, bear in mind that roads there get clogged and most of the on-street parking is expensive.

Detailed directions will be sent to you once your booking is confirmed.

Read our guide to Getting to Italy and Getting around