A place for body and spirit, where Mediterranean scrub dives into the Mare Nostrum and time becomes the most precious gift.
The countryside of Relais Regina Giovanna has ancient origins: it was the pars agricola of a 1st‑century BC Roman villa—the Villa of Capo di Sorrento—which boasted its own private port and panoramic terraces. Its seaside remains form the archaeological area known as the “Bagni della Regina Giovanna,” the famed natural pool opening between cliff and vegetation.
In the 1960s, engineer and entrepreneur Nino Naldi purchased this vast estate, rich in history, for family agricultural production and to house his beloved horses. In 2005, his daughter Teresa converted one of the farmhouses—La Corte—into a hospitality venue, inaugurating Relais Regina Giovanna as an agritourism with 12 rooms surrounded by greenery and overlooking the sea. It joined the Royal Group Hotels and Resorts brand, founded by Teresa in 1991.
A new chapter began in 2014 when Teresa’s son, Gianluca Picone, completely reimagined the Relais. He transformed it into a space where beauty, sustainability, and creativity intertwine—a poetic habitation of the present, in harmony with the environment. La Corte was fully renovated: guest rooms and common areas were reorganized, and the agricultural activities received fresh impetus, moving toward a more contemporary conception attentive to environmental sustainability and the area’s sociocultural value.
The grand sorrentine pergola was restored and repurposed as a communal space surrounded by tropical plants—cool and shaded. La Corte was dressed in hues of blue and green, and collaborations with artists and artisans began: site‑specific creations that now punctuate interiors and exteriors, forming a bridge between mankind and the natural world.
Over time, two additional farmhouses have enriched the estate’s hospitality offering: La Casa, a warm and welcoming retreat nestled among centuries-old olive trees, and La Villa, gracefully perched at the northern edge of the property, where the garden opens directly onto the sea. Both residences have been thoughtfully restored, preserving their historic charm while blending rustic architecture and original stonework with modern comforts and sustainable design (The apartments of the La Villa will be available for booking soon).
Activities have expanded, artistic projects have continued, and day by day Relais Regina Giovanna evolves into both a true refuge in nature and an invitation to discover the territory’s culture—rooted here today, and for millennia past.
Everything is conceived to have a positive impact: from the organic vegetable garden to renewable energy production, from rainwater harvesting to construction using locally sourced natural materials. Every choice is guided by a simple principle: to care for the land and all who inhabit it.
The interiors and exteriors are dotted with works by local and visiting artisans and artists—all created in residence: traces of life and beauty inspired by this place and its atmosphere.
In the first century BC, during the height of the Roman Empire, the Bay of Naples was studded with particularly flourishing towns—Sorrento, Pompeii, Herculaneum, to name but a few.
