The Edit: Volume 4

In residence with Alessandro Aarbace the king of Capri, a spotlight on Todos Santos with a new hotel opening, and a list of hotels you'll like if you love The Colony Palm Beach

Feb 04, 2024

In Residence with Alessandro Arbace

This is a special edition, where I got to interview a friend who I also admire tremendously in the world of hospitality. Meet Alessandro, a true Caprese, the owner and mind behind my favorite restaurant in Capri, Pulalli. He’s one of only a handful of people I think of as being 100% cool. With that, anything he recommends, I know is fantastic. He has a great eye, and captures his life so beautifully on Instagram stories - I most definitely recommend a follow. I’m so grateful for his insight and recommendations below, and am so lucky to know him. To know him is to love him!

via @aaarbace and @pulallicapri on Instagram

Let me digitally introduce you. First off, he has great style and great taste in all things but especially food and music. Second, he grew up in the restaurant he owns and runs today. The name, Pulalli (which I love), was his childhood imaginary friend. When his extraordinary father passed away far too young, he was handed the reigns of the restaurant. He will tell you all about that below. I’m lucky to have been a “regular” at the restaurant since his father, Fabrizio, opened it when I was a kid. But I feel even luckier to watch it grow under Ale’s eye. Simply put, to eat at Pulalli is to really experience Capri.

Alessandro inherited this restaurant that truly epitomizes Capri, and he managed to make it even more magical. I eat there on the first night of every trip, every year. Walking up the steps and seeing him and his fabulous (truly amazing) team is the best “welcome back” in the world. Every dish is always incredible, and it has brought a fresh take on Caprese cuisine to an island that has the same things on most menus. It also has fantastic service. Every person on his team is not only a great human, but truly talented in hospitality. The interiors, the exteriors, the details - all perfect. The amazing music is the icing on the cake. Many people DM me to say that Pulalli was their favorite meal on Capri. To that I say you’re welcome, but also thank you to Ale for your time with this fantastic interview.

Pulalli opens for the season early April, sure to be the best year yet. The restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner besides Tuesday. Ok, let’s get to the conversation:

Ale, to me, you are one of the kings of Capri. You have the most special restaurant on the island, with the best location, and you have the best hospitality. Can you share how you are both carrying on your father's legacy but also creating your own restaurant, your way?

Thank you, Marissa, I appreciate your kind words even more because you are a friend. In 2017, when I first started running the restaurant, I was only 19. I was excited for this new unexpected challenge, but also very scared. I focused on finding the right staff, doing all the paperwork, being sure every guest left the restaurant happy, and preserving what my father had built for all these years. Then, when I finally got more confident in what I was doing, I felt the need to change. Pulalli had something special that fascinated me since I was a child. The location, the atmosphere that every night was created spontaneously when the first guests arrived - these were things I wanted to enhance. I tried to pay tribute to the natural beauty surrounding the restaurant by making the interiors clear, bright, and welcoming using more light wood. I focused on small details, carefully choosing everything, from glasses to lamps, and of course music. In 2022, a new chef arrived, and together we chose to offer a more refined cuisine, yet simple and in line with the Pulalli tradition. Next season, which will be my eighth, I can finally look at Pulalli thinking it has never been so beautiful.

I’m so incredibly proud of you and impressed with how you’ve done this. When I saw the new interiors last summer, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. All of it - everything, every detail. When I saw Paolo Sorrentino at the restaurant two summers ago, I thought your dad must be looking down so proud of the son he raised and what you’ve done with his legacy. I can’t wait to watch you continue to soar.

Of course I have to ask about hotels. Is there one hotel on Capri that you think is the "coolest" in your eyes?

Capri has so many incredible hotels that it’s difficult to pick one. Each one has its strength. I immediately think of the timeless elegance and the incredible views at Caesar Augustus, but also the wonderful swimming pool in the center of Capri at Hotel La Vega. That’s where I go when to from the restaurant for a few hours.

You described Caesar Augustus so perfectly - timeless elegance. Also, I’m happy you were the one who shared about the pool at La Vega - I have been “gatekeeping” the fact you can go to the pool for the day so that you and Stefanie and all the locals still have a place with out all of us Americans!

Beyond the pool, do you have a favorite beach, your “special beach” on Capri?

I used to spend every single Tuesday with my dad Fabrizio at Il Faro (MK note: Lido del Faro is the full name) so it always has a special place in my heart. We enjoyed wonderful long days at the beach, from the early morning until the sunset. It has the sunset on the island.

Now, I try to spend my day off on a boat. I think it’s the best way to fully appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty of Capri.

I didn’t know you went to Faro every week growing up with your dad! I love that so much. It does have the best sunset, and it’s a very special place. But I agree with you, being on a boat is the ultimate way to experience Capri.

I know you spend a lot of time in Napoli, because your partner, Daniele, is a ballet dancer at Teatro di San Carlo. I’m always watching your stories of the beautiful opera house and the cool restaurants you eat at and always wish I knew Naples like you do. I would love to know, what are your favorite restaurants in the city?

Napoli is full of secret places waiting to be found. Of course, it depends on what you are looking for.

When I want to treat myself, I go to Aria – a more recent opening with a Michelin star. I also love the predominantly plant-based options on the simple, genuine, and organic menu at Dialetti, in Chiaia. I get lost in the extensive champagne list at l’Ebrezza di Noè, which is matched by incredible food. I’m very curious about the always changing menu of Essencia – a small restaurant run by young guys who are very mindful about sustainability. Lastly, I often have breakfast at Luminist, and I love pizza at Impasto 55.

Ale! What an amazing list, I can’t thank you enough for sharing with me and my readers. I can’t wait to try these restaurants myself.

Capri is my favorite place in Italy, but what is your favorite place in Italy? Besides Capri.

I’m a big fan of Abruzzo. It’s one of my favorite regions in Italy. I’m fond of its unbelievable food, clean air, wonderful nature.

My best friend has an house in Pescocostanzo, which is two hours by car from Napoli so we go there often. In winter for skiing, in summer to get into nature and lower temperatures. But always for good food and wine.

Abruzzo is not still a very famous area abroad, and a part of me hope it will never be.

You make it sound so magical! I need to spend more time there, clearly. Luckily, I don’t think it will become too crowded with tourists, as the region doesn’t have many “great” hotels.

Now back to the island. Do you have a favorite month on Capri? A period of time that you look forward to all year.

One of the most precious aspects of living in Capri is the winter – enjoying a sunny day in the soothing silence from November to March.

When friends are visiting me I always bring them out for an impossible-to-forget walk like Il Passetiello. A good sandwich, water and sunglasses is all you need. After a few hours, you arrive on the highest point of the island, Monte Solaro, surrounded by wild goats with the most incredible 360° view.

Magic!!! I have to experience it in the winter. Also, dear readers, Capri is said to have been named by the Latin word for goat, caprae. They are an unexpected and wonderful part of the island.

Lastly, Ale, you have the best music taste. The Pulalli Spotify playlist is my favorite, every year. I take a screenshot every time you post a song on Instagram. Do you mind sharing your favorite classic Italian songs that just make you happy anytime you hear them?

What a tough question!

Every Franco Battiato song is a masterpiece, I can’t choose one. In the last few months I’ve gotten really into Giuni Russo, her most famous songs are sadly only 80’s summer hits, but her voice is a balm for the soul and she wrote a real gem with “La Sposa.”

I never get tired of “La collina dei ciliegi” or “Questione di cellule” by Lucio Battisti, “L’ultimo bacio” by Carmen Consoli, “L’importante è finire” by Mina, “E dimmi che non vuoi morire” by Patty Pravo, “Replay” by Samuele Bersani,” Guardami negli occhi” by Nada…but I could go on forever.

I wish you would go on forever! Thank you so much for sharing with me, and all of us. I’m so grateful to know you, and for your time in sharing your taste and experience with my world. A giugno. I can’t wait to hug you! Forse finochietto quest’anno?! Sto scherzando :)

Grazie da cuore, ancora, Ale!

Sneak Peek: luxurious and affordable Italian honeymoon hotels

On this week’s paid edition, I’ll be sharing 20 hotels in Italy that are great for honeymoons (and any trip, of course) with amazing rooms under €400/night. This is the second installment of my Italian honeymoon hotels series, where I share the hotels I suggest most to clients spending their honeymoon in Italy. This is because I am so grateful but so overwhelmed with the amount of trip planning requests I receive every day. I can’t keep up, so this is my solution: share on here so people can have amazing vacations at amazing hotels in my favorite country.

But today, I’ll share a true gem with all of you. In the enchanting Tuscia region lies Castello San Michele in Teverina, just outside of the incredible ancient town of Civita di Bagnoregio. The hotel is a Renaissance castle, built between the 12th and 16th centuries and was home to many of the most prominent noble families of Medici, the Colonna, the Farnese, and Bagliolini. It now has suites and apartments, but the following are the GEMS: Prince of Montholon Suite and the Marchese Galeotto de’ Medici Suite. Both of them, less than €250/night.

PS. Last call for Happy Hoteling on sale! For the next 48 hours I’m offering 20% off my Comprehensive Guide to Capri (code PULALLI) and 15% off my Comprehensive Curation of Hotels in Italy (code SUBSTACK).

Spotlight on Todos Santos

I’ve spent a lot of time in Cabo, because that’s where my godmother lived for the majority of my life. But, as an adult, I can finally admit - it’s not really my jam. Todos Santos is more my speed. It’s most definitely not the “small fishing village” it once was, largely due to an influx of good hotels. But, it’s also not overrun with over-tourism like Cabo, Tulum or Cancun. And, it just got a new hotel that I have been waiting to open and share about. The name will be easy to remember: Todos Santos Boutique Hotel. Only 10 rooms, all individual, definitely very pricey but also very charming. Right in the center of town. Great for a quick luxury getaway, for my fellow Californians.

I shared three other soon-to-open hotels I’m very excited about on Wednesday’s edition.

If you like this hotel, you’ll probably like these hotels…

Long lost cousin hotels. Properties that are not at all related, but share sensibilities. Today’s keywords: colorful, intimate, friendly, a bit feminine, and old-world. Like The Colony Palm Beach. If you like that, then you’ll probably like…

The Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande, Florida…

Cobbler’s Cove in Barbados…

Palazzo Avino in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast…

Vermelho in Melides, Portugal…

Epi 1959 in Ramatuelle on the French Riviera

and Palazzo Margherita in Basilicata, Italy.