Dining in Positano with the best views, now come with a new Chef

Forbes

2 days ago

Italian chef Alberto Annarumma is a master of balance—call it pastry discipline meets haute-cuisine rigor. Now he's bringing his meticulous precision to every dish at La Serra, the restaurant at the Hotel Le Agavi in Positano. 'My cuisine speaks through the humility of simple ingredients, the courage to elevate them, and the generosity of evoking emotion,' shares Chef Annarumma.
He honed his craft at Rossellini's in Ravello with Anthony Genovese and Pino Lavarra—earning a second Michelin star along the way—before refining it further with Alain Passard at Arpège and Philippe Legendre at the George V. His cooking is eclectic yet deeply Italian: He reimagines classic recipes through contemporary techniques, pursuing flavors that feel dear and soothing—like a lingering Sunday family lunch—while maintaining the precision and elegance of fine dining.
Positano History
But let's be honest: La Serra is just the opening act. Hotel Le Agavi itself is a spectacle—a vertical village perched on a cliff above the Amalfi Coast, where every step, terrace and view feels orchestrated. And behind this breathtaking property is Aldo Capilongo, the Neapolitan lawyer-turned-builder who dreamed big and made it happen.
Back in 1966, Capilongo bought 30,000 square meters of rugged Positano mountainside. Everyone thought he'd lost it, even his wife. But he had a vision: a hotel that would feel like it grew naturally out of the rock, where the sea and sky felt within reach and where luxury didn't fight the landscape—it danced with it. Decades of ingenuity followed: Workers moved materials with mules because nothing else could navigate the slopes, and traditional building methods were adapted to meet the terrain's steep, unforgiving contours. The result? An arrangement that feels less like a hotel and more like a secret village, hugging the cliffside in all the right ways.
And then there's the funicular. Yes, a funicular inside a hotel, painted a serene sky blue, gliding effortlessly along 300 meters of elevation. It connects the highest terrace to the panoramic belvedere, with stops on different terraces from which you can stroll down steps to the private beach. Riding it isn't just fanciful—it's a moment to pause and drink in the bay, to let the layers of Positano reveal themselves in shifting shades of blue. It's whimsical, practical and entirely unforgettable—the kind of feature only someone with Capilongo's imagination would think to build.
What I love about Hotel Le Agavi is how thoughtfully every detail has been considered. Luxury here doesn't shout—it whispers. The terraces open to endless vistas, the villas melt into the mountain and the funicular turns what could be a logistical headache into a cinematic experience. Then there's the food: Chef Annarumma's menus give you a reason to linger, to slow down and savor not just the flavors, but the view that comes with every bite.
Also under the purview of Chef Annarumma is Remmese, the hotel's other gorgeous restaurant. But its location is in itself extra special—right down by the rocks where the waves crash. Literally suspended between sea and sky, you can arrive here by water taxi or tender from your yacht. This is where to feast on seafood—start with grilled octopus, then "aquapazza" sea bream and pair this with a crisp white wine.
This is the kind of hotel that sticks with you. You don't just remember the funicular or the terraces or the fact that a chef with Michelin-star pedigree is cooking for you—you remember how it all comes together: the architecture, the cuisine, the sea, the sky and the quiet genius of a man who imagined it all before Positano was on anyone's radar.
If you can imagine that? A time where Positano wasn't a cipher for the apogee of picturesque Italian sojourn.
Over the past 50 years, the little place of Positano has transformed from a quiet fishing village into a famed luxury destination, with a surge in popularity that began to really ramp up in the 1980s. Yet a stay at Hotel Le Agavi reminds you of the town's original magic—the narrow, winding streets, the way buildings tumble down the cliffs, the sea stretching endlessly below. The funicular, the terraces, the villas that feel as though they've grown out of the rock, and Chef Annarumma's precise, soulful cooking all make you feel as if you've stepped into a world curated for wonder, rather than discovered through hype. Le Agavi isn't just a hotel; it's a lens through which Positano reveals itself—its history, its beauty and its quiet, enduring charm.
Positano has always had a way of capturing imaginations. Back in the 1950s, John Steinbeck visited and wrote that now-famous line: 'Positano bites deep,' describing it as a place that isn't quite real while you're there and only becomes fully alive after you leave. Writers and artists, of course, quickly followed, finding much inspiration in the pastel-colored houses and that shimmering sea. Patricia Highsmith wandered its streets while crafting The Talented Mr. Ripley, letting the town's curves and colors seep into her story.
By the 1960s and '70s, it was the international jet set who came for the privacy, the vistas and the effortless charm. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards composed music in little cafés, Sophia Loren and Rudolf Nureyev made their escapes here and Franco Zeffirelli turned a cliffside villa into a gathering place for friends from the arts. Then, in the 1980s, Positano's quiet allure became a global phenomenon, the town officially on the map for travelers seeking beauty, luxury and a touch of exclusivity. Today, the town continues to attract visitors in impressive numbers: Lodging check-ins across the Amalfi Coast's 13 villages rose 9% in 2023 compared to 2019, according to the Agenzia Regionale Campania Turismo.
Yet at Hotel Le Agavi, that fame doesn't feel loud—it whispers. Every terrace, every dish, every quiet corner encourages you to slow down, breathe and let Positano work its magic. Capilongo imagined this cliffside village long before it became a celebrity playground, and in every detail—the way the villas melt into the rock, the effortless play of light across the bay, the quiet orchestration of sea and sky—you feel that vision. By the time you leave, you don't just remember a hotel, or a chef, or a view—you remember how it all came together, perfectly, like a secret the town has been holding for decades.