{"id":112990,"date":"2026-07-01T13:04:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T13:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=112990"},"modified":"2026-07-01T13:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T13:04:07","slug":"these-little-known-corners-of-italy-feel-just-like-the-hamptons","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/these-little-known-corners-of-italy-feel-just-like-the-hamptons\/","title":{"rendered":"These Little-Known Corners of Italy Feel Just Like the Hamptons"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On a recent golden evening, I settled onto Bollinger Terrace, the breezy outdoor perch at 7Pines Resort Sardinia, a flute of equally radiant bubbly in hand, as the sun slipped into the wind swept, granite slopes lining the Mediterranean in Baja Sardinia, Italy. Just a short drive from the decadent glamour of Porto Cervo, that perennial favorite of the Costa Smeralda\u2019s superyacht set, I was struck by just how different this untamed stretch of Gallura feels\u2014the mood distinctly more Montauk than Southampton. Rather than being on display, the focus here is on immersion in the landscape (or, better still, in the secluded coves of turquoise water tucked below the resort).<\/p>\n

With just 75 rooms and suites spread out over nearly 40 acres, 7Pines feels refreshingly uncrowded even at high occupancy. Yet the luxury is unmistakably evident, from the spa and polished service to a spectacular dinner by Chef Pasquale D\u2019Ambrosio at the newly Michelin-starred Capogiro.<\/p>\n

Just in time for summer, Delta\u2019s new nonstop service between New York and Olbia has made Sardinia \u2014 Italy\u2019s second-largest island \u2014 more accessible for East Coasters seeking either a mid-season Hamptons escape or a post-Labor Day vacation extension. But Sardinia is only one piece of the puzzle. Wondering the Italian equivalent of your favorite East End enclave? Grazia Gazette<\/i> maps Hamptons-to-Italy parallels, revealing where to find your own ideal dose of dolce far niente<\/i> on the other side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

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Read <\/span>GRAZIA USA’<\/em>s Hamptons Gazette<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Southampton to Forte dei Marmi<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"italian<\/p>\n

If Southampton is where the establishment summers, then the highly discreet seaside getaway Forte dei Marmi, on Tuscany\u2019s Versilia coast, is where Italy\u2019s stealth wealth retreats each August. Long favored by fashion dynasties such as Ferragamo and Versace, as well as Milanese industrial families and old-money Roman clans, the town embodies glamour, but at its most understated.<\/p>\n

Multigenerational regulars socialize at private beach clubs, while linen-clad cognoscenti settle into poolside aperitivi<\/i> at the newly reopened 59-key Hermitage Hotel & Resort, a member of Starhotels Collezione. Evenings are defined by leisurely dinners at Orto all\u2019Hermitage, followed by one of Forte\u2019s most cherished rituals \u2014 an unhurried bicycle ride or passeggiata<\/i> through town.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amagansett to San Felice Circeo<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Punta<\/p>\n

The Atlantic is a constant presence in Amagansett, long a summer escape for New Yorkers. Romans in the know, meanwhile, flee the tourist-clogged capital and head 90 minutes south to San Felice Circeo on the Tyrrhenian Sea.<\/p>\n

A cliffside lighthouse watches over wide, soft-gold beaches that rarely feel crowded, even at peak summer. Circeo\u2019s expansiveness is thanks to its position on the edge of Circeo National Park, where protected dunes, cliffs, and Mediterranean forest preserve long stretches of unspoiled Lazio coastline.<\/p>\n

East Hampton to Venice<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Hotel Gabrielli Venezia – Starhotels Collezione<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

East Hampton is a cultural anchor of the East End and a curated luxury destination that retains an intimate village scale while catering to a global clientele. Venice achieves a comparable duality: a living museum defined by centuries-old artisan traditions, historic families, and grand palazzi, interwoven with a dynamic contemporary arts scene.<\/p>\n

Along the Riva degli Schiavoni, just steps from Prada and Gucci, sits the recently renovated Hotel Gabrielli, a 14th-century palazzo in the Castello neighborhood that encapsulates the city\u2019s layered identity. It was here, in the early 1900s, that Franz Kafka is said to have passed through Venice, recording his impressions in letters to his fianc\u00e9e, Felice Bauer. Today, the Perkhofer family continues to uphold the hotel\u2019s place among the grand dames of the floating city, with restored and preserved details including hand-painted coffered ceilings and original Murano chandeliers set alongside Istrian stone columns. Views from its suites and rooftop terrace stretch across the lagoon toward San Giorgio Maggiore, giving guests the sense of being suspended between city and sea.<\/p>\n

Bridgehampton to Ostuni<\/b><\/h2>\n

If Bridgehampton were transported to Italy, it would most likely feel right at home swapping spots with Ostuni in Puglia, the heel of Italy\u2019s boot. The ancient hilltop town \u2014 often called La Citt\u00e0 Bianca<\/i>, or the White City, for its whitewashed buildings \u2014 is just five miles from the Adriatic Sea, so it feels removed from the coast even as it overlooks it.<\/p>\n

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Vista Ostuni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The surrounding landscape comes alive in summer, with sun-bleached fields of grain and vast olive groves stretching toward the horizon. Farm estates and boutique resorts hum quietly in the warmer months, as Italians and international visitors are drawn to a slower rhythm at intimate hotels such as Vista Ostuni, a 700-year-old palazzo featuring indoor and outdoor pools, a rooftop terrace with sweeping sea views, and Mediterranean gardens designed by Belgian landscape architect Erik Dhont.<\/p>\n

Sag Harbor to Bellagio<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Beach Club Villa Serbelloni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sag Harbor is sophisticated yet relaxed, a balance that perhaps owes to its pride of place on the waterfront. Bellagio, set on boat-filled Lake Como, similarly draws its identity from the lake\u2019s deep blue expanse within the Lombard Prealps.<\/p>\n

Day-trippers drift through its bustling caf\u00e9 scene and maze of winding streets, while jet-setters retreat to the village\u2019s only five-star hotel, the opulent Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, to soak up the sun by the property\u2019s cerulean lakeside pool or at the private Baci da Bellagio beach club. The evenings revolve around piano music and drinks in the grand salon before dinner at La Goletta, the relaxed lakeside eatery, or the more formal Mistral Restaurant. There, Chef Ettore Bocchia presents a refined seven-course tasting menu that includes tortellini filled with peacock and fava bean pur\u00e9e, and turbot with leek foam and caviar.<\/p>\n

Read <\/span>GRAZIA USA’<\/em>s Hamptons Gazette<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n