Capitolo Riviera, Nervi, Genoa: a hotel with a designer difference

One of the best parts of staying here is its thrilling location in a neighbourhood unmarred by mass tourism.

Just up the road from Portofino: Nervi, Genoa, is undiscovered by tourists.

Elizabeth Meryment

less than 2 min read

12:00AMSeptember 25, 2024.

Updated 5:49PMSeptember 25, 2024

The Weekend Australian Magazine

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‘People are crammed into Portofino like sardines,” says an overheated visitor as our ferry bobs away from the candy-coloured hamlet in the midst of a summer heatwave. “I’ll never come back here.” I remember coming to Portofino a quarter of a century ago when tourism hadn’t exploded in Italy and you could sit in an outdoor trattoria drinking red wine that tasted of hills you could see. In recent years, travelling to Italy has made me sad at times, leaving me yearning for a time when locals spoke Italian and Ryanair was a twinkle in an Irishman’s eye.

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The Ligurian coastline of Nervi. Picture: Dario Breggie

Uncrowded beaches are a highlight. Picture: Elizabeth Meryment

How thrilling, then, to discover Nervi, a former fishing village on Genoa’s outskirts that feels like Italy before globalisation. Nervi has come to international attention with the opening in July of Capitolo Riviera, a beautiful five-star design hotel. The 37-room property has inhabited the bones of what was a tired building, with a spectacular overhaul completed by Italian studio Parisotto + Formenton Architetti. Capitolo has a luxurious, international feel, with plush touches including a luxe spa and outdoor swimming pool that makes the most of the region’s temperate Ligurian climate, and a focus on style, with the interiors taking cues from Italian design of the 70s.

Make the most of the climate in Capitolo Riviera’s outdoor pool. Picture: Supplied

One of the best parts of staying in here is the Capitolo’s location in a neighbourhood unmarred by mass tourism. From the hotel, wander Nervi’s village-like streets, where you can sit in the town square, on the cliffside, or by the beach to eat pesto lasagne and drink inexpensive wine, without feeling smothered by other tourists. Then head back to the hotel to sip fashionable cocktails on the sleek alfresco terrace that lets you know that while Italy loves its past, it also looks to the future.

A design hotel of elegance.

The exterior of the hotel. Picture: Dario Breggie

Nervi is 30 minutes south by train from Genoa Centrale, and is definitely worth a few days of your time away from the madding crowds. And you can hop back on the train (which pulls up almost out front) to go to Portofino for the day, if you don’t mind feeling like a sardine.

 

The Capitolo has a sophisticated feel.

Capitolo Riviera, Nervi, Genoa, is part of the Small Luxury Hotels network (slh.com). Rates from €287 ($A470)