Mediterranean Beach Towns

Portofino, Italy

Riviera, one of the most beautiful locations in the world and the playground for everyone from Brigitte Bardot in the ’60s to Berlusconi. Hotel Splendido, which remains intact and focuses on authentic cuisine, has played host to the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, and Ava Gardner.

Taormina, Italy

Located on the east coast of Sicily, Taormina is often described as the epitome of southern Italian beach towns. Home to as many poets and painters as playboys and boulevardiers, Taormina represents the creative cross-section that has made the region famous for the last 60 years. Hotel El Jebel is a classic Mediterranean property that often serves as a meeting place for the many artists, celebrities and politicians that frequent town.

Cassis, France

Cassis was once a small fishing village that retained the purity of southern France without the glitz and glamour of neighboring Nice, Cannes and St. Tropez. Cassis is still certainly less travelled by many tourists, but since the early 1950s it has become something of a hideaway for wealthy Europeans. Cassis is also home to some top-notch vineyards. The Michelin-star rated La Villa Madie may only be a few years old, but it is the type of restaurant designed to cater to the wealthy aristocrats and actors that call Cassis home.

Port Grimaud, France

Conceived by architect Francois Spoerry in the 1960s as a “Provencal Venice,” Port Grimaud retains the same canals and islands of its Italian inspiration, but with a decidedly more exotic atmosphere. Designed to be the midway point between St. Tropez and Frejus, Port Grimaud is now home to some of the wealthiest yacht enthusiasts in the world.

Naxos, Greece

Naxos is known as the greenest island in the area with high mountains and fertile valleys. The beaches are truly pristine and many of the island’s inhabitants still work on looms each day and live off the land. That said, the beautiful landscape has not gone unnoticed and lately the Aegean jet-set crowd is making its way down Naxos’ shores. The Lucullus taverna is a 100-year-old restaurant famous for the freshest grilled octopus in the region.