"Best for: opera and old-school luxury Once the Naples home of Oscar Wilde, Émile Zola, Pablo Picasso, and Igor Stravinsky, this coat-tailed veteran of the grand-hotel scene has stood like a maestro on the waterfront conducting the bay since 1882. Enrico Caruso was a permanent resident: his pharmacy cabinet and piano are still in his suite (531 & 2). Inside, Umbertine-era Naples is immaculately preserved, a time of white-glove service, red-carpeted ballrooms, gold silk brocade walls, walnut writing desks, and Murano chandeliers the size of cherry trees. (A few doors down, time stands still in 1953 on the preserved Gio Ponti-designed floor of the Royal Intercontinental.) Address: Grand Hotel Vesuvio, Via Partenope, 45, 80121 Napoli NA, Italy" - Zahra Surya Darma, Stephanie Rafanelli
