Frank Morgan

I’m speaking at a CIME school at the truly Grand Hotel San Michele on the Italian coast, kindly organized by Alberto Farina and Enrico Valdinoci. The path from the hotel to the private beachclub is rather dramatic. It begins with a long descent down the front stairs and another long stairway under the highway.

The path now leads to the top of a tall elevator shaft, with the beach precipitously far below.

The elevator descent, which takes a full two minutes, ends deep in the midst of the mountain, whence a long tunnel emerges into light.

The beachclub features seaside dining and a rustic beach.

The hotel has a spacious lecture hall

and gala dinners:

The place was purchased as a run-down farm from the Baroness in the 1960’s by the current owner’s grandfather, who transformed it into this beautiful hotel, replete with the 93 meter elevator into the heart of the mountain with a tunnel to the beach. The grounds include a golf course and many fruit trees: orange, lemon, banana, mulberry, and kumquat.

A few more pictures from Azahara de la Torre: