Absolutely amazing. This place is perched on the mountainside in Santuario di Montallegro (literally: "Happy Mountain") above Rapallo, Italy. We found it flipping through Lonely Planet after escaping from Massa in the dark.

The hotel is one of the most amazing places I've happened upon. It's couple hundred yards down a path through the woods behind the chuch (which is pretty impressive as well). I say again: down a path through the woods - there is no road, no cars parked in front - very quiet, very very nice. The view down the mountain to Rapallo and Portofino is incredible both day and night.

The building itself was originally a retreat for the "brothers" of the Santuario, and what a retreat they had! It's not opulent, but it's not spartan either. The rooms are simple but quite nice, and have updated bathrooms. Many rooms have views, and they do not get many guests so just ask!

Have breakfast on the terrace overlooking the sea in the morning. Have lunch on the terrace. Have dinner on the terrace in the evening! The in-house restaurant serves great, simple, real Italian food, and the woman who runs the place is really nice. She stayed up, fed us, and plied us with grappa even though we didn't arrive until nearly 10:30pm.

FYI: The hotel and the Santuario is accessible from Rapallo by bus or aerial tram (funivia, in Italian) during the day, or by taxi (€30) at night. Or you could drive, I suppose. My advice would be to stay at Il Pellegrino and use the funivia to go down to the seaside for the day, and return before it shuts down in the evening for dinner.

I'm looking forwards to finding an entire week when I can stay here again, just reading, writing, eating, and taking the funivia up and down to swim at the little beach in Rapallo.

Best for: relaxation, romance

Close to: Rapallo, Portofino

I held a conference for 50+ people at the Visconti in September 2005. The hotel is only a year old, and is built to a US standard - so it's HUGE compared to many European hotels. Not huge in a bad way -- but larger rooms, corridors, doors -- lots of space. There's a gym, spa, and lots of outside space - you can eat breakfast or lunch in the garden, or have drinks outside at the free happy hour.

Whenever I asked directions or for assistance, they were helpful and clear. Their meeting & event services were top-notch. The location is about 6 blocks outside the Porta Romana, which is on the SE corner of the inner ring, and a quick walk for catching the metro or #9 tram.

This is a solid 4-star property - I wouldn't hesitate to use the Visconti again, especially for a large group. Well done!