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This legendary clifftop hotel crowns the hills above Portofino, gazing over one of Italy’s most photographed harbours from a former 16th-century monastery turned aristocratic villa. Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, has drawn film stars, royalty and connoisseurs of understated glamour since 1901, its terraced gardens and pastel façade epitomizing la dolce vita long before the phrase existed.

Fifty-three rooms and suites unfold in soft linens, hand-painted tiles and antique furnishings, each framing views across the Gulf of Tigullio’s emerald waters. Days drift between the heated infinity pool, a Dior spa retreat and a private tennis court, while evenings call for aperitivi on the terrace as the sun slips behind Portofino’s pastel harbour houses.

Two restaurants celebrate Ligurian coastal cuisine, pairing just-caught seafood and basil-laced pesto with an exceptional cellar. Attentive, discreet service and a sense of timeless occasion make this address less a hotel than a ritual — a place where the Italian Riviera’s golden age still lingers in every detail.