In 1902, one Otto Bierbaum, midway through his Grand Tour to Italy’s South, wrote, “A hotel, that is not a hotel, but offers every comfort, this is something rare.” His letter continues, “Cocumella, the erstwhile Jesuit cloister, is truly a poets’ inn, where the friend of peace and beauty feels safe…”
Yes, it is all this and more.
Dating back to the 16th century when it was a Jesuit Monastery, Cocumella is located in a lovely residential area of Sorrento, surrounded by hectares of lush planting of ancient wisteria, umbrella pines, herbs, grasses, flowered cloisters and secret gardens. With only 32 rooms, all of which face the sea and Vesuvius beyond and many of which have generous terraces, it is a place to come to rest. With a sublime location – 30 minutes from Naples, 40 minutes from Pompeii and 30 minutes from Positano and Capri – it is ideally suited as a base of operations, as a jumping off point, for a tasting of the region.
If you can gather your wits and your energy!
So beautiful and cool are the gardens, so magnificently quiet the pool, so delicious the local fish and organic vegetables and salads, so kind and welcoming the staff that you long to stay put, to escape the hurdles and trappings of travel.
Family owned for the past 30 years, coming to Grand Hotel Cocumella is like coming home. As Bierbaum said, “A hotel that is not a hotel…(but)…a poet’s inn.”
John Derian is a treasure. It's not that there aren't many with talent and vision because there are, the world over. But Derian has other attributes that make him so beloved. His eye is unerring, his sense of scale is perfect, he layers cultures and eras seamlessly in a room. And he is accessible in brick and mortar. His two shops on East Second Street have been haunts for years. One carries the decoupage he designs and constructs locally (and that make the best gifts ever) along with the coveted ceramics of Astier de Villatte. The second Dry Goods store next door showcases quirky antiques, an assortment of vintage furniture, stacks of heavy french linen, Moroccan rugs and soft cotton Indian clothing. Both are small, but intriguing and interesting enough to seduce you on a journey of the senses.
And now, Derian has opened on Christopher Street in a double-windowed storefront of a two-story 18th century house. It's like walking in to another world. Traditional Astier, and the later Derian/Astier collaborative pieces, line the walls from roof to floor of the front room. The back room, wallpapered in his new cabbage rose design and lit by beautiful Balthus-designed standing lamps with parchment shades, offers a living room in which to settle in, thumb through books and albums, and rest the soul.
So, go to shop, or simply go to travel in spirit to another place and time.
https://www.johnderian.com/pages/our-locations"
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