A Chronicle of Land, Ethics, and Hospitality on the Cilento Coast

Savoy Hotel & SPA: in Paestum, a family-led system of design, agriculture, and wellness reframes hospitality as a daily choreography of materials, people, and landscapes

Holos Spa, Savoy Hotel & SPA in Paestum

Holos, from the Greek ὅλος, means whole, entire, complete. It evokes not only physical integrity but also philosophical and spiritual coherence—a concept that finds deep roots in the Eleatic school of thought.

Just a short drive north of Paestum’s Doric temples, on the ancient acropolis of Elea (now Velia), thinkers like Parmenides and Zeno challenged linear perception. They proposed a vision of reality as continuous and indivisible: To Eon—“what is”—a plenum where change is illusion and truth lies in unity. Their philosophical method was not abstracted from daily life but embedded in it. Physical disciplines like bathing, diet, and athletics were part of their inquiry, inseparable from intellectual contemplation.

At Holos Spa, the wellness center of Savoy Hotel & SPA in Paestum, that continuum is reborn. Opened in 2022 and spanning over 700 square meters, Holos is not a refuge from modernity but a space where ancient intuitions meet advanced environmental hygiene and bio-integrated architecture. It’s a contemporary temple to balance.

Design as Dialogue: Matter, Form, and Breath

Designed with acute material sensitivity, Holos Spa juxtaposes glossy slabs of Calacatta Viola marble with porous lava stone, creating an interplay between refinement and earthiness, permanence and erosion. The space unfolds across thermal zones: three pools, a salt grotto, ice room, hammam, sauna, and sensory showers, each invoking the ancient Mediterranean rituals of purification and renewal. Dawn yoga sessions and silent tea ceremonies in the herbal room establish rhythm and stillness.

Technology is embedded discreetly: digital hygiene systems monitor air quality, and UV-C purification prevents bacterial growth, echoing the Eleatics’ belief that purity is not achieved by rejection, but through integration and awareness.

A Philosophical Approach to Skincare

Holos goes beyond aesthetic treatment. Its protocols are based on raw, minimally processed ingredients sourced from San Salvatore 1988, the biodynamic farm and winery that anchors the entire property’s circular ecosystem. Here, wellness becomes agricultural: treatments feature goat and buffalo milk, grape must, olive oil, wild herbs, and pollen collected onsite. Products are made fresh and applied by therapists trained not only in technique but in attentiveness—a virtue rarely taught in modern spas.

The word Elea appears throughout the spa—not as branding, but as mnemonic. It reminds guests that this place is not simply near a philosophical site, but part of its cultural and geographic orbit. To enter Holos is to return to a land where body and thought were once a single continuum.

A Return to the Land: Ethical Entrepreneurship Across Generations

The story of Savoy Hotel & SPA is, at its heart, a generational act of return. In the early 2000s, entrepreneur Giuseppe Pagano left his career abroad to come back to the Cilento coast, seeking not just a rural life but a new economic model—one in which agriculture, energy, design, and hospitality would form a self-sustaining loop.

Inspired by his father Salvatore Pagano, a farmer and buffalo breeder active in the mid-20th century, Giuseppe founded San Salvatore 1988, a zero-impact organic estate producing wine, cheese, vegetables, and energy. It was a radical departure from the tourism models that dominate southern Italy—one based not on extraction but on rootedness.

Today, the enterprise is led by Salvatore Pagano Jr., Giuseppe’s son, who continues to cultivate this integrated vision. Under his stewardship, the operation has expanded to become a paradigm of ethical entrepreneurship. Business growth is tied not to volume, but to soil health, employee retention, and cultural continuity. Many of the hotel’s current staff—chefs, agronomists, spa therapists—are locals who left for opportunities elsewhere but returned for stable, meaningful employment.

This form of rural regeneration rejects nostalgia. It is instead a forward-facing model of circular living, where innovation grows directly from the land.

Architecture of Reduction: Listening to the Landscape

Savoy Hotel & SPA, designed by Milanese architect Giampiero Panepinto, resists the clichés of Mediterranean luxury. No white stucco or nautical motifs. Instead, the hotel’s material palette—reclaimed wood, rough stone, sand-hued concrete—recalls the landscape’s own vocabulary. The architecture does not imitate the terrain; it listens to it.

With 41 rooms, three villas, and two pools set across 30,000 square meters of organic gardens, the hotel’s built forms act like gentle interruptions. Every room opens onto a terrace that dissolves into the countryside. Inside, rough linens, unvarnished oak, and handmade ceramics echo the spa’s ethos: an experience of care that is tactile, unprocessed, and grounded.

Recent renovations have emphasized energy independence and passive bioclimatic strategies: ventilated facades, sun-shading pergolas, and natural cross-ventilation reduce dependence on air conditioning. These are not just ecological measures—they’re aesthetic decisions that protect silence and promote sensory depth.

Tre Olivi: A Culinary Expression of the Mediterranean Philosophy

The property’s Michelin-rated restaurant, Tre Olivi, is led by Oliver Glowig, whose German rigor meets Italian intimacy in a form of gastronomic essentialism. Glowig begins many of his meals with a walk through the gardens with guests, harvesting the herbs and vegetables that will compose the meal.

With interiors lined in olive wood and a design that nods to local identity, the space creates a sensory prelude to a cuisine that celebrates the land’s biodiversity. Chef Oliver Glowig offers two tasting menus and à la carte options that follow the rhythm of the seasons. Ingredients are sourced almost entirely from the estate’s organic farm, San Salvatore 1988, ensuring traceability, sustainability, and a direct link between field and table.

Tre Olivi balances technical precision with a sense of warmth and welcome. The culinary approach is contemporary yet never detached—dishes reference local tradition but are reinterpreted through modern technique and a touch of visual wit, such as vegetable “charcuterie” in trompe-l’œil form. Each menu, ranging from 10 to 12 courses, is designed as a narrative journey, with wine pairings available and flexibility for diners to tailor their experience. The atmosphere is elegant without being theatrical; service is attentive yet discreet.

A Deep Sustainability Framework: From Energy to Ethics

Attention to ingredients and the rhythm of the seasons in the kitchen is part of a broader, tangible commitment to sustainability—one that’s fully integrated into the life of the property. The property currently produces over 113 MWh of clean energy each month, meeting approximately 80% of its energy needs through photovoltaic systems and a next-generation green energy infrastructure. Water is managed with equal precision: aerators are installed across all faucets to reduce usage, and the pool’s filtration system—borrowed from maritime engineering—eliminates backwashing, requiring only minimal rinsing to maintain crystal clarity.

Plastic has been virtually eliminated. Guests and staff use glass carafes filled at filtered stations. In the kitchen and spa, single-use plastics have been replaced by melamine and compostable alternatives. Orved vacuum machines utilize 100% biodegradable bags for food storage. Cleaning agents throughout the property are non-toxic and biodegradable, including those for tableware, floors, and surfaces.

Mobility, too, follows this low-impact logic. An EV charging station welcomes electric vehicles, while bicycles are available for guests wishing to explore the pine forests or visit Paestum’s archaeological site in zero-emission style.

Regional Network, Global Vision

Savoy Hotel & SPA is a proud member of the Rete del Gusto della Dieta Mediterranea, a local food and sustainability consortium. Around 80% of the ingredients used at the restaurant and spa are sourced from within a 50-kilometer radius. This not only reduces carbon emissions but reinforces a micro-regional economy based on collaboration, not competition.

The hotel’s visual identity—menus, ceramics, textiles—also comes from Cilento artisans. Wildflowers from the estate are used in table settings and spa infusions. Even the aesthetic gestures participate in the loop.

Beach Club 93: Coastal Minimalism

Just a few minutes’ walk from the main property, Beach Club 93 offers a distinct yet seamless extension of the Savoy Hotel & SPA philosophy—transposed from inland architecture to seafront geometry. Named after the kilometer marker on the Cilento coastline where it stands, the club unfolds along an unspoiled stretch of beach, framed by sand dunes and Mediterranean maquis. Its design is deliberately minimal: horizontal planes, weathered timber, raw canvas canopies, and sand-toned textiles blend into the coastal terrain. There are no clear separations between inside and out—only shade, breeze, and the rhythm of the sea. Guests move barefoot from linen-covered loungers to the water’s edge, from espresso in the morning to sunset aperitifs, in a cadence defined more by atmosphere than choreography.

Matteo Mammoli

Recognition & Local Networks

Savoy Hotel & SPA is part of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts collection, which actively supports environmentally responsible hospitality.

The Tre Olivi restaurant is a member of the Rete del Gusto della Dieta Mediterranea, a local network promoted by the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park. The initiative connects restaurants with local producers to promote short supply chains and the authentic culinary heritage of the region.