Anantara Hotels & Resorts has partnered with famed auto maker Alfa Romeo to create a luxurious self-driving tour across the south of Italy. The Dolce Vita Tour, beginning in Rome and ending on the Amalfi Coast, is an immersive driving route designed around slow travel, culture and fine dining.
The route is not a race but is rooted in the spirit of the 18th-century Grand Tour popular among European nobility. In this contemporary interpretation, both driver and passenger will enjoy the romance of the roads, the stops, and the sights, sounds and tastes.
Anantara Hotels & Resorts are luxury properties that also offer immersion, into local cultures, along with unique architecture and natural environments. Anantara operates over 50 hotels and resorts across Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, offering what it calls Thai-inspired hospitality at each.
In fact, three Anantara properties in Thailand were used for the most recent season of the HBO series “The White Lotus,” The Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort, for example, was the filming site of scenes set in the hotel lobby, the driveway and the security post, as well as the jewelry shop, and the spa.
Anantara Hotels & Resorts is a luxury brand of Minor Hotels, which operates over 640 hotels, resorts and branded residences across 58 countries.
On Anantara’s Dolce Vita Tour, guests get to drive an Alfa Romeo from a selection of models. Vehicle choices range from the classic midcentury Giulietta to the contemporary Giulia sports sedan and Stelvio SUV. For those seeking added performance, high-powered Quadrifoglio variants of both Giulia and Stelvio offer a racing inspired drive.
Curated stops on a personalized tour include vineyards, coastal lunches and cultural experiences.
The modern Alfa Romeos are mostly automatic transmission vehicles, while the stick shift heritage models are manual. For many, the thought of driving a tiny convertible Alfa through the Italian countryside will make their heart race faster than the cars.
Guests cannot buy the Alfa Romeo they drive, unlike ‘buy, drive, and ship’ offers like the Porsche European Delivery Program. However, Anantara guests will be connected with a dedicated team at Alfa Romeo that will support sales in their country of origin. Alfa Romeo is sold in 70 countries worldwide.
The Dolce Vita Tour begins at Anantara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel. During their visit to the Eternal City, guests will be equipped with their Alfa. Drivers will then get to savor the sun-drenched hills of the Castelli Romani and cruise along the picturesque coastline of Sperlonga.
The route continues toward Ravello’s dramatic height Ravello is a centuries-old hilltop town known for its panoramic views of the. Mediterranean, as well as its historic villas with lush gardens.
Drivers then descend into the cinematic curves of the Amalfi Coast, ending at Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel. Guests savor the Italian art of living with seaside lunches, intimate tastings at family run vineyards, and golden hour strolls beneath Positano’s pastel skyline.
“As our European footprint grows, so too does our ability to craft journeys with depth and authenticity, giving guests an experience where the road becomes a story and every stop a moment to savor,” said Giles Selves, SVP Minor Luxury Hotels Europe & Americas. “With Alfa Romeo Stellantis as our partner, the act of traveling through Europe’s iconic landscapes feels as meaningful as the destination itself.”
“Alfa Romeo has always embodied passion, Italian design and the pure pleasure of driving,” added Eugenio Franzetti, Alfa Romeo’s Head of Global Marketing. “This collaboration with Anantara brings our values across some of Europe’s most inspiring roads.”
In 2027, the hotel chain plans to expand the concept to an Anantara Grand Tour of Europe. New routes will include the French Riviera, Málaga to Marbella, Dublin to Amsterdam, and what’s intriguingly called The Imperial Capitals Tour.
The Imperial Capitals Tour traces a Central European route through the area’s historic capitals and towns. Bookend bases on the tour include the Anantara luxury hotels in Vienna and Budapest.
Along the way, guests drive the old imperial boulevards and scenic routes. The drive takes you to curated experiences that celebrate Europe’s cultural riches, such as music, art and gastronomy. Guests may take the complete Grand Tour or take an individual itinerary. Connecting flights are also available between the Anantara properties.
The Dolce Vita Tour can be booked starting this fall. Anantara is offering three levels of pricing, for a three-to-four-day jaunt. This is the cost only for the experience; guests also need to add the cost of thire stay at the two hotels.
- Entry-level experience: starting from approx. € 3000 per couple (self-guided)
- Mid-tier experience: in the range of €6,300 per couple (a guided tour)
- Luxury experience: from €10,400 per couple (including a heritage vehicle with mechanic!) to €14,000 for a guided tour with mechanic. The luxury experience is fully curated and highly bespoke, according to a hotel source.
Food and beverage is not included, except for a bottle of champagne provided by the hotel. For dining, several restaurants are listed on the sample itinerary. Anantara Palazzo Naidi also offers a Michelin-starred Italian restaurant, INFO, and its rooftop restaurant, SEEN by Olivier. At Anantara Convento di Amalfi Hotel, Locanda della Canonica offers seaside luncheons with a stunning view of the Mediterranean.
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