In Massa Lubrense, a story that starts from a fairy tale, that of Alfonso and Livia, and becomes a legend as the first restaurant in Southern Italy to receive 3 Michelin stars and to give life to a farm-to-table haute cuisine, immersed in a 19th century villa where the wonderful colors of the Sorrento peninsula are the protagonists.

The reopening of Don Alfonso was one of the most anticipated events of 2024. As much as the restaurant is a world legend, famous for having been among the founding “fathers” of Italian haute cuisine, as well as a source of inspiration for many activities that made Massa Lubrense a top “food destination” in Europe.

Its epic is the passionate and visionary one of the Iaccarino family, a force well represented by its symbolic colour, present in every detail: an intense pink that recalls that of the wonderful bougainvillea of the coast; a bold choice that becomes an expression of the unique personality with which Don Alfonso has made and continues to make the history of Italy since 1890.

Only after having studied, deepen and respected tradition, we have the right to put it aside, always with the awareness that we are indebted to it, at the very least, for having contributed to clarifying our ideas..

(Eduardo De Filippo)

It was on that date, in fact, that Alfonso Iaccarino, after leaving Sant’Agata and having learned to “dream big” in America, returned to his country and created the Pensione Iaccarino, which soon became a point of reference in the Sorrento peninsula.

In 1973, his grandson Alfonso together with his wife Livia transformed the pension inherited from his grandfather into a restaurant and, together, they began what was a real revolution at the time. In fact, they combine love for their land, which translates into the use of products and animals from the garden and fish from their sea, with cutting-edge techniques, which earned them 3 Michelin stars in 1997.

Today, the baton has been passed to the fourth generation and it is the sons Ernesto and Mario, chef and hospitality director of the group respectively, who continue to innovate with the same passion and visionary drive that has characterized the business since its foundation.

While Alfonso and Livia today enjoy spoiling their guests and follow the wonderful farm they have created, Le Peracciole in Punta Campanella, where they grow all the products needed for the restaurant, from vegetables to lemons, from chickens for eggs to oil.

Despite a career that began in international finance, it is these scents that inspired the love of cooking in Ernesto who has been at the helm of the restaurant since 2003. A philosophy, his, which is based on the valorization of the history of Massa Lubrense, its people, its products, while combining it with culinary poetic licenses inspired by the different cultures that have fascinated him during his many travels.

Precisely to complete this holistic vision, Don Alfonso surprisingly closed the year in 2023, the time needed to completely regenerate in the name of sustainability. Thanks to renewable systems, exteriors and interiors rebuilt with natural materials and zero-waste processes, Don Alfonso today is based entirely on the rhythms of nature, without contaminating it in any way.

In April 2024 Don Alfonso reopened completely renovated, in the rooms, where its legendary pink was combined with floors in very white Vietri ceramic and elegant Murano mirrors and glass chandeliers, and in the garden where, among white curtains and lemons, it’s magical to have an aperitif before sitting down to dinner.

In the renewed menu, you can choose between three tasting menus, Vegetarian, Tradition and Degustation, opting for Don Alfonso’s great classics, such as smoked amberjack or ricotta nudi (dumplings), or try newer creations such as fried egg with burrata and black truffle or tuna belly puttanesca style.

Dessert time is a tribute to the Sorrento peninsula and it is impossible to choose between the Don Alfonso-style Sfogliatella and the lemon in 3 consistencies, perhaps to be accompanied by the lemon liqueur. Not a limoncello because, as Mrs. Livia explains, that was invented later and theirs is the one made according to the ancient family recipe.

Don Alfonso is famous throughout the world not only for his cuisine but also for his hospitality, generous with smiles and unexpected treats. Fantastic hosts, Livia and Mario, know all their guests by name, and, between a home anecdote and a local legend, it will seem like they have always known them. Accompanying them on this journey is the sommelier Maurizio Cerio, ready to suggest the perfect combination between the dishes and the over 1300 labels, including “My wine”, a blend of Merlot and Aglianico grapes, selected by Ernesto Iaccarino with an obviously pink label.

Wines and spirits which, at the end of dinner, can be savored in the garden or in the beautiful Library Room located in front of the restaurant entrance and inspired by Anglo-Saxon clubs. And, to complete the experience, Don Alfonso’s world also includes a boutique hotel with swimming pool and a cooking school.

The essence of the Neapolitan “Vie en rose” is all here.

The Secret

The cellar of Don Alfonso 1890 is one of the most beautiful in the world: a thousand-year-old environment, created from tunnels that housed pre-Roman tombs which were then also used as an escape route to the sea to escape from pirates. Searched for by the family on the basis of ancient maps and brought to light after long excavation works, today over 25,000 precious bottles and an aging room dedicated to cheeses are preserved there.

Useful Info

Don Alfonso 1890
Corso Sant’Agata 11/13
80061 Sant’Agata Sui Due Golfi, Massa Lubrense, Napoli
Tel. +39 081 8780026

Tasting menus: from 155 euro, wines excluded
Starters and first courses: 38 euro
Second courses: 48 euro