Character: Traditional 19th-century hotel with modern amenities and unforgettable views.
Advantages: Walk to everything in town, but still have your car for touring.
Location: On Via Roma, next door to the Botanical Garden and the municipal tennis courts (which hotel guests can use free of charge, by reservation only). This location is superb, because it is on the outer ring of the ancient village, thus accessible by car and offering unobstructed views, while being only a 5-minute walk from the Greek Theatre and the main street. Click here to see a map.
By the turn of the 20th century, Sicily had become a favorite retreat for wealthy upper-class Brits, who used the money they made selling Marsala wine (among other things) to build fabulous estates for themselves. Although most of the vineyards were over on the west coast in those days, the favorite vacation spot was Taormina, whose hilltop position gave it cool breezes and incredible views of smoking Mt. Etna, the Straits of Messina, and the tip of the Italian boot. Indeed, the elegant building that houses this hotel was originally owned by Lady Florence Trevelyan, wife of the well-known historian and creator of the city’s much-envied Botanical Gardens, which are right next door to the hotel. This earthly paradise seems to have it all: brilliant splashes of tropical flowers; picturesque architecture spanning from the ancient Greeks through the Moors and right up to the Victorians; fantastic food based upon a year-round supply of fresh vegetables and fish; and a unique microclimate that keeps it sunny and inviting all year long. In the summer, you can take this hotel’s free shuttle down the hill to its own private beach and enjoy some of the best swimming Italy has to offer; in fall the vineyards that now blanket Mt. Etna burst into spectacular golds, reds and yellows; in springtime the road to Piazza Armerina (site of what many consider the world’s best-preserved Roman mosaics) is alive with the heady perfume produced by hundreds of thousands of blossoms in the endless citrus groves that stretch as far as the eye can see; and in the dead of winter, while the rest of Europe shivers, you can sit at an outdoor café and sip your cappuccino warmed by the sweet rays of the sun. Strangely enough, many hotels shut for the winter in Taormina, but this gracious family-run hotel (in existence since 1892) is open, ready to show you why “Sicilian hospitality” is renowned throughout Italy. |
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