"Giovanni Vanacore's Michelin-starred Campanian kitchen on a terrace facing Minori — book a sunset table for an Amalfi Coast anniversary you'll re-tell."
Palazzo Avino sits at the head of Via San Giovanni del Toro, three hundred metres above sea level and one switchback past the Villa Cimbrone gardens. The terrace at Rossellinis runs the full length of the south façade — a clean sightline from the small port of Minori below to the headland at Maiori and the open Tyrrhenian beyond. Giovanni Vanacore has been the executive chef since 2018; the Michelin star has been on the wall longer than that. Three set tasting menus, €110 to €130, dinner only, mid-March through early November. The view is non-negotiable; the food is unfailingly the second thing you remember.
The Kitchen
Vanacore is Campanian by birth and training. He came up through southern Italian hotel kitchens — Castellammare di Stabia, then Positano — before taking the executive role at Palazzo Avino. The cooking is recognisably regional: Campanian seafood from the small ports of the Amalfi Coast, Cilento beef from the inland hills, San Marzano tomatoes from the slope just north of Vesuvius, citrus from the lemon groves below Ravello itself. The kitchen prefers light, balanced reductions to heavy classical sauces; there is no truffle ostentation and no foie gras on the menu. The signature plates include a raw red prawn from Crotone with a citrus emulsion built on Sfusato Amalfitano lemons, a pasta course of paccheri di Gragnano with a slow-cooked octopus ragù, and a coastal turbot grilled over olive wood with broccoli rabe.
The cellar — led by sommelier Luigi Nitto — is the under-acknowledged strength. Eight hundred labels with a tilt toward Campanian whites (Fiano, Greco di Tufo, Falanghina) and an Etna-volcanic section that runs about forty deep. International labels are well represented; the German Riesling shelf alone is unusually serious for a coastal Italian room. Pairings run €80 for the standard, €140 for the reserve. Ask Nitto to put the Crotone prawn against a Pietracupa Greco di Tufo and let him handle the rest.
The Room
Two rooms, really. The indoor dining room is classical: pink-and-cream Vietri-tile floor, white-jacket service, eighteen tables, candles at every cover. The terrace, in service from late April through October, has perhaps a dozen tables wrapped along the south wall — the railing falls away to the coast, the lighting comes from candles and the lemon trees in the small courtyard. Sound level on the terrace is a conversational hum punctuated by the Palazzo's pianist, who plays from twenty-one. Lighting is candle-bright; table spacing is wide enough that adjacent conversations don't reach. Dress is smart elegant; jacket is not required but most male diners wear one in May and October. Sixty seats total at full service; the Palazzo's hotel guests are seated first on the terrace, then external diners.
Best for an Amalfi Coast Anniversary
Three reasons it lands. First, the terrace is the most photographed view from a starred kitchen on this coast — Rossellinis has worked the angle for thirty years and the Minori sightline still does what no other Amalfi terrace can. Second, the service is unfailingly responsive to a milestone: mention the anniversary when you book and the kitchen will plate a candle-and-fig closer without making theatre of it. Third, the cellar gives Nitto room to construct a sentimental pairing — a vintage that matches the year you married, an Amalfi lemon liqueur to finish — without doubling the bill. Book table 14 or 16 on the southern edge; ask for the early seating to catch sunset.
Not for
Skip if your bar is the food rather than the room. The kitchen is competent and the Michelin star is fairly earned, but plates at this price arrive nightly across the Coast at Don Alfonso 1890 (in Sant'Agata) and at Il Flauto di Pan up the road that the cooking will sit just behind. Skip too in February — Palazzo Avino is closed mid-November to mid-March.
Frequently Asked
Is Rossellinis worth it?
Yes, for an Amalfi Coast anniversary or a honeymoon dinner — less so for the food alone. The Michelin star at Palazzo Avino has been held under Giovanni Vanacore's regional Campanian menu for several years; the cooking is technically sound and built around local seafood. What you are paying for is the terrace and the sightline across to Minori. Eat indoors and the bill reads differently. See also Ravello dining guide.
How hard is it to book Rossellinis?
Sunset tables on the outdoor terrace book six to eight weeks ahead in July and August; three to four weeks in May, June, and September. Indoor tables remain available much closer in. Direct booking via Palazzo Avino concierge yields better placement than third-party platforms. Hotel guests are seated on the terrace first.
What is the dress code at Rossellinis?
Smart elegant. The hotel runs a strict no-shorts, no-flip-flops policy after 19:30; jacket is not required but most male diners wear one in shoulder season. Women lean toward dresses on the terrace; the room reads cocktail rather than business. No swimwear regardless of the heat.
What is the average meal price at Rossellinis?
€110–€130 per person for the tasting menus (three set menus offered), excluding drinks. Wine pairings run €80–€140; a respectable bottle of southern Italian white from the list starts around €70. Budget €280–€350 per couple for the full experience. À la carte is available but the kitchen prefers the tasting format.
Is Rossellinis good for a honeymoon?
Yes — request the terrace table 14 or 16, both at the southern edge with the cleanest Minori sightline. The kitchen is unfailingly indulgent of honeymoons (mention it when you book) and will plate a closing fig-and-honey dessert with a candle if asked. The Palazzo Avino's lobby pianist plays from 21:00; expect a slow second drink.
When is Rossellinis open?
Mid-March to early November, dinner only, six nights a week (closed Monday). The terrace is in service from late April through October; before and after that the room moves indoors. The hotel itself closes from early November to mid-March; reservation requests outside that window will be politely declined.