A Dreamy Hotel in Italy and The Safest Countries and Cities in the World: Iceland and Canada Score Highly

As a travel writer lucky enough to roam around the world and lucky enough (and then some) to stay in some of the most amazing hotels, I can’t complain for a moment. But after visiting with the owner of The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento, Italy, I have to say I’m a little wistful that I haven’t had a chance to try this sumptuous property.

A new hotel with all the bells and whistles is great, but the places that speak to me most are the ones with great history, amazing settings, and a true sense of place.

As I looked at the photos of this incredible hotel and talked in Toronto yesterday with the owner, I was totally blown away by the details and the overall look and feel of a hotel that has been in existence for a remarkable 190 years, all under the guidance of the Fiorentino family.

It’s a 5-star property overlooking the deep blue Gulf of Naples that’s part of the  Leading Hotels of the World and is surrounded by a five-acre park with citrus and olive groves.

My wife and I took a Mediterranean cruise with Silversea in 2011 or 2012 and docked one day in Sorrento. I remember looking up at some imposing stone and brick buildings towering overhead and thinking, “Wow, that looks amazing.”

Fast forward a dozen years or so, and I’m sitting in a North Toronto coffee shop with the owner, Guido Fiorentino, remembering that same view and checking out photos of a property that far surpasses the word “elegant.” The rooms are perfectly outfitted in light tones with splashes of colour, with large windows that reveal remarkable views of the Mediterranean Sea. The salons look like something out of an Italian state museum or even the Vatican, and the terraces are dreamy spots where you could spend hours sipping the perfect cocktail or admiring the sun going down over the Bay of Naples and the island of Ischia.

The hotel overlooks the ocean, but also has the advantage of backing onto the main city square, so guests can enjoy not only sea views but city life. The grounds include extensive gardens with olive trees, and lemons to make their own limoncello.

The hotel has just 79 rooms, so they can turn a lot of their attention to the needs of their guests. The smallest room is 32 square meters (344 square feet) and some are as large as 78 sq m (840 sq. ft.)

There’s also a lovely spa housed in a 19^th century greenhouse, and a large, heated pool.

 

They can set you up with a tour in a vintage car, or arrange a trip to Napoli, Pompei or the remarkable and relatively unknown Palace of Caserta. A night at the gorgeous Napoli Opera House, which dates to 1737, also can be set up.

The hotel is closed from just after New Years to the start of April.

The Michelin-starred Terrazza Bosquet, open all year round (in summer on the panoramic Terrazza Bosquet), the Orangerie Restaurant, in the coolness of the garden next to the swimming pool, and the Terrazza Vittoria, which opens onto the panorama of the Gulf of Naples. All are supervised by the starred Executive Chef, Antonino Montefusco, and offer fine cuisine with local and international specialties based on organic ingredients from the Sorrento Peninsula and the hotel’s own vegetable garden. There are also three bars, including a poolside affair and a Champagne bar.

Need more? The hotel has hosted the likes of Princess Margaret, King Gustav of Sweden, Sofia Loren, Oscar Wilde, Barbara Streisand and Luciano Pavarotti. One of the suites is named for Pavarotti, and another for Enrico Caruso, who spent a great deal of time here.

“As Tiziana Laterza, our Hotel Manager since 2014, often points out, luxury is understated not flaunted; which is to say that it is the ability to think of some detail, some gesture, however small, never banal and never predictable, capable of surprising the guests and, above all, of making them feel at home, even when they are far away,” the hotel website states.

If you ever have a problem, you also can be assured that Fiorentino should be able to help out, as he and his family live in a home on the property.

Guests get to know Fiorentino if they spend much time at the hotel, and he’s made lifelong friends that he visits around the world. After visiting Toronto, where he expected to meet up with friends, Fiorentino was headed to Washington D.C., where he was going to meet with former hotel guests.

“Every time I go to the city we meet or go out for dinner,” he said.

As someone whose family reputation is at stake, Fiorentino said he also takes time to read reviews of his hotel.

“Sometimes we get great suggestions. One lady wanted a taller wardrobe for her long dresses, so we did that.”

SAFEST COUNTRIES AND CITIES IN THE WORLD: CANADA SCORES WELL

Travel insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection (BHTP) has announced the insights of its tenth-annual State of Travel Insurance Safest Destinations report, the longest-running and most trusted research project evaluating the attitudes of U.S. travelers toward travel safety and travel insurance.

“Travelers looking for inspiration for their 2025 getaways should keep destinations such as Iceland, Australia and Canada in mind, as they have been ranked as this year’s top three safest countries,” the company said.

The report also highlights the world’s safest cities, with Reykjavik, Copenhagen and Amsterdam taking the lead for 2025, and Montreal placing sixth. Only one U.S. city made the top 15 safest cities list, and that was Honolulu, Hawaii.

Note that Iceland scores as the safest country and that it’s capital, Reykjavik, is rated the safest city. That’s pretty cool. I also see that Australia comes out as the second safest country, and Sydney as fifth safest city. Also nice.

Top 15 Safest Countries

1. Iceland
2. Australia
3. Canada
4. Ireland
5. Switzerland
6. New Zealand
7. Germany
8. Norway
9. Japan
10. Denmark
11. Portugal
12. Spain
13. United Kingdom
14. Netherlands
15. Sweden

Top 15 Safest Cities

1. Reykjavik
2. Copenhagen
3. Amsterdam
4. Tokyo
5. Sydney
6. Montreal
7. Seoul
8. Singapore
9. Berlin
10. Hong Kong
11. Venice
12. London
13. Honolulu
14. Dubai
15. Barcelona

I’m a bit surprised to see Canada finish ahead of Switzerland, and Montreal ahead of Singapore. But that’s just me.

To determine these rankings, BHTP surveyed a large group of American travelers in August about their destinations over the past five years, allowing only those who have visited specific countries to rate them on safety. BHTP then augments those ratings with other indices and information to evaluate safety concerns such as terrorism, weather emergencies, health measures and the safety of underrepresented groups to calculate a weighted score that reflects each country’s overall safety.