The Romeo Collection, the Naples-based hotel group behind the acclaimed Romeo hotel on the city's waterfront, is heading for the coast. Its third property, Romeo Massa Lubrense, is scheduled to open in May 2027 on the Punta San Lorenzo headland — the point of the mainland that sits closest to Capri.
The site is a private natural fjord inside a secluded reserve, and the group is not building from scratch. The project reimagines the historic Hotel Delfino, which dates to 1963, with what the company describes as a serious commitment to environmental restoration of the clifftop setting.
Bringing it to life is Kengo Kuma, the Japanese architect known for work that seems to fade into its surroundings — a fitting choice for a site this dramatic. His concept draws on the Japanese idea of Ma, the notion that emptiness is a quiet presence rather than an absence, and aims for what the design team calls 'visual subtraction': stripped-back spaces with no clutter competing with the view.
The material palette stays local and organic — tuff and travertine from the region, matte ceramics, American walnut — with soft curves and plenty of transparency. Guests will find 63 rooms and suites designed for genuine indoor-outdoor living, where the line between infinity pool and the Gulf below all but disappears. Founder Alfredo Romeo positions it as an ultra-exclusive, slow-living counterpoint to the busier stretches of the Italian coast.
Why should this be on your radar? Massa Lubrense is the Sorrento Peninsula's quieter flank — olive groves, fishing coves and walking trails, minus the cruise-ship crowds of Positano or Sorrento itself. A design-led, nature-first resort of this scale could put the area firmly on the luxury map ahead of the 2027 opening, so travellers who like to get somewhere before everyone else has a two-year head start.
It also completes a neat story for the group: the original Romeo hotel in Naples made its name with modern Italian design, and this project extends that sensibility into a wilderness setting. If Capri's hotels feel overrun and the Amalfi Coast feels like a queue, this corner of Campania — a short drive from Sorrento and a boat ride from Capri — is shaping up as the alternative worth booking early.
Story via Sleeper Magazine.
