Convent hideaway in Cilento

The restoration has been careful and reverent. Exposed stone walls, original frescoes and reclaimed timber sit beside freestanding bathtubs, handcrafted furniture and softly lit rooms, so the old spirit of the place is felt rather than staged. Seven suites and rooms, each one different, gather around a serene cloister courtyard where white linen curtains lift in the breeze beneath the old bell tower.

At the heart of the day is the Osteria del Convento, where the kitchen cooks in the southern Italian tradition using produce picked from the convent's own garden and sourced from nearby farms. Long lunches and slow dinners are served in the cloister or under the olive trees, and cooking workshops, olive-oil and wine tastings bring guests closer to the flavours of Cilento.