Amalfi Coast's Palazzo Sasso to Become Palazzo Avino

  • June 14, 2012
Amalfi Coast's Palazzo Sasso to Become Palazzo Avino
The Palazzo Avino is a five-star hotel on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, originally built during the 12th century as a palace but opened as a hotel following World War II. It closed during the 1970s and reopened in July 1997, following a $20 million renewal.

The hotel has 32 rooms and 11 suites and has a staff-to-guest ratio of two employees per room. Palazzo Avino is home to Rossellinis, a two-star Michelin restaurant, and two other restaurants. The building of Palazzo Sasso and its transformation into Palazzo Avino began decades ago with Giuseppe Avino who, with his father, Attilio, built a successful tomato canning factory.

In Ravello, Avino took the shell of a 12th century palace and, for three years, while still running the tomato factory, he renovated the property. In July 1997, Palazzo Sasso reopened as a hotel. Avino’s daughter, Mariella -- Palazzo’s new managing director – said the name change comes as result of legal battle over use of the name Palazzo Sasso. Eventually, the family made the decision to change Palazzo Sasso to Palazzo Avino.

Mariella Avino holds a degree in business administration and worked as a credit analyst for HSBC in Milan before attending a Master in Hospitality Administration program at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne and entering the family business three years ago. “The idea of having the Avino name on the hotel is actually very special for me and my sisters, Attilia and Mariavittoria,” she said. “We have no men in the family besides my father, so our name, Avino, will eventually disappear. But with Palazzo Avino, the name will always remain. My grandfather is no longer with us, but now his name is here forever. I know this would have made him very happy.”

About: Palazzo Sasso