A Monastery on the Amalfi Coast

Monastero Santa Rosa is one of the finest and most important historic buildings of the Amalfi Coast, an exclusive boutique hotel and SPA renovated paying the utmost respect to its spiritual roots and rich history. The complex was built in 1681 on the walls of the ancient church of Santa Maria di Grado, which at that time was in ruins and had been donated by the town of Conca dei Marini to Abbess Sister Rosa Pandolfo, the descendant of a rich and noble Italian family. Over the years the sisters greatly helped the local population lenting their herbal knowledge to the community by preparing medicines and remedies for common diseases. They had a canal built to bring water to the monastery and from there to the inhabitants of Conca dei Marini. Around 1866, the nuns were forced to move and the monastery was abandoned. After years of neglect, the hotelier Massimiliano Marcucci di Publio bought the site, transforming it, in 1934, in a hotel that soon became renowned for its excellent hospitality, the serenity of the place and, of course, for the extraordinary panorama offered by each his room. Many celebrities stayed at the hotel, including Jacqueline Kennedy during her holidays on the Coast. Following the death of the last descendant of the Marcucci family and after a series of unfortunate events, the hotel was abandoned and neglected. In 1999, the American Bianca Sharma, during a cruise with friends in the Bay of Salerno, was literally "enraptured" by the haunting beauty of this solitary and dilapidated building overlooking the sea, and decided to buy the building and turn it into one of the finest hotels in the world. Working with a team of architects and craftsmen she undertook a meticulous path of renovation works that preserved the integrity of the structure of the monastery in order to leave untouched its aura of antiquity and history while at the same time providing all necessary modern comforts to make it a luxury hotel. Each cabin within the Spa preserves the original 17th Century vaulted ceilings and many of its rustic walls, maintaining the monastic heritage of this beautiful property. The Refettorio Restaurant, has a full Mediterranean soul, enhanced with local flavours and a creative touch.