Images courtesy of Mariella Avino & Palazzo Avino
In Ravello, on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, a blush-pink 12th century villa sits on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The villa once belonged to an Italian noble family. Today, it houses the exceptionally chic Palazzo Avino, a luxurious boutique hotel whose charm and fashion-forward sensibilities are courtesy of its owner Mariella Avino. Mariella’s father bought the building, which sits on one of Ravello’s oldest streets, in 1995. Two years later, he opened it as a hotel.
“Even if it was a shell of a building, it already had a lot of charm,” Mariella recalled, adding how her father saw its potential and “dreamt about bringing it back to its full glory.”
The villa was already pink, and Mariella and her family worked to make the joyful hue part of the hotel’s personality. Today, it’s commonly referred to as the pink palace of the Amalfi Coast.
“Being a very feminine family, because we have three sisters, there is something that also plays a very nice role in our storytelling,” Mariella said.
Mariella and her sisters practically grew up at the palazzo. Mariella got involved with the business side of the hotel in 2011. When she joined, Mariella wanted to incorporate fashion and art into the hotel’s decor and overall vibe.
“As I started to be involved directly in the operations and also in the sales part of the business, I enjoyed the opportunity of giving my imprint to the property,” she said.
Fashion is a strategy
Images courtesy of Palazzo Avino
With Mariella’s taste, any personal imprint is a gift. She is blessed with a keen eye for fashion and art, and always looks put-together, donning stylish accessories, a chic red lip and a perfectly curated outfit. She spends her free time shopping and derives joy from curating the perfect ensemble, complete with the perfect accessory, of course.
“I am a kind of a consultant for the family for dresses and other things,” she said. “And in terms of what brings me more joy, I love accessories probably even more than clothing.”
(She drops little hints to her husband about what catches her eye, “just to make sure the gifts are in the right direction,” she said. “It's nice to make their job easier.”)
Today, she applies her fashion-consultancy and accessorizing prowess to Palazzo Avino, a blank canvas that reflects her impeccable style and delights everyone who sets foot inside. In 2023, she led a collaboration with Valentino for a beach-club pop-up. The iconic Italian brand temporarily took over Palazzo Avino’s clubhouse by the sea, bedecking the space with bright-red umbrellas and lounge chairs. Guests were sent home with a pair of Valentino sunglasses.
“I always look at that brand as an image of how Italian elegance should look like,” Mariella said. “They really were able to create that elegant image that we were looking for. So it was definitely super fun — a super fun product. For a fashionista like me, it was really a dream come true.”
Sparking joy
Images courtesy of Palazzo Avino
To Mariella, a quintessential Italian aesthetic embodies elegance, tradition and culture, elements with which she imbues Palazzo Avino. She oversaw a series of art projects that adorn the hotel’s gallery and ensured that its culinary program got back to the region’s roots, prioritizing tasteful (in more ways than one) simplicity.
“It does have a very strong link to where we are, what we do,” she said of the hotel’s culinary program. “We went closer and closer to what we can offer locally.”
At the Michelin-Starred Rossellinis, the delicate lemon ravioli dotted with tomatoes comes highly recommended, as does the flaky sea bass cooked in clay. At the more casual (but still refined and beautiful) Terrazza Belvedere, Mariella especially loves the eggplant parmesan, ravioli caprese and pasticciotto, a traditional lemony, cream-filled pastry.
The food is locally sourced and expertly prepared; the ingredients, treated with a light touch, take center stage. No detail is left unturned: even the dishware has been meticulously sourced. Mariella worked with local artisans to select the perfect ceramics on which to place the amuse bouche for guests at Rossellinis. When a review came out that specifically mentioned the beautiful plates, she was overjoyed. It’s all in the details.
Although Palazzo Avino celebrates Italian excellence, the hotel also features elements inspired by Mariella’s global travels. A dessert cart she spotted in Singapore, for instance, inspired a similar whimsical one featured in Rossellinis. When she travels, she keeps a notebook to document things that inspire her. She’s not looking for anything in particular. Rather, she’s hyper-aware of the beauty around her.
“It's very organic,” she said. “It depends on where I am.”
She always dreamt of opening a boutique next to the hotel. When an art gallery adjacent to the palazzo went on sale (a rarity in Ravello), she jumped at the opportunity. In 2019, the Pink Closet was born.
“Over the years, I collected so many items which I love, just to buy, to have them,” Mariella said. “The project was actually to give this kind of research a place where I could take the majority of the space.”
The Pink Closet is a reflection of Mariella’s style, her love for beauty and the inspiration she’s gleaned throughout her travels. The space was designed by a Milan-based female architect, and features work from under-the-radar designers and artists. Guests can purchase everything from tableware to clothing to ceramics to — of course — accessories. The curated selection of gems is always evolving.
“We give the clients the opportunity to see pieces that are not normally easy to find,” she said. “It's nice visibility to these brands to an international audience.”
Always looking ahead
Image courtesy of Palazzo Avino
Mariella loves the creative aspect of running a hotel, and there is always something exciting in the works. The family recently purchased a nearby garden, which includes a vineyard. They've already produced over 600 bottles of white wine. The vineyard will also serve as the setting for a forthcoming cooking school, which Mariella is particularly excited about.
“My dream will be to bring, in a simple way, the possibility of learning about the traditional dishes from the Amalfi Coast, but also from the southern part of Salerno, which is where my grandmother was from,” she said.
Guests will be able to get back to the region’s roots more than ever, and all amidst the lush setting of this idyllic, old vineyard. Here, too, tasteful simplicity will reign. Ever the creative, Mariella somehow manages to conceive of and masterfully execute exciting projects. Palazzo Avino will never go out of style.
“Sometimes you have some ideas and it's the right moment or not the right moment. And you understand, from the alignment of things, if that's the year to pursue some idea or another,” she said. “The challenging thing is always finding enough time.”
