With Mount Etna erupting steadily, there is a powerful charge to Sicily’s soil. Sweet tomatoes, almond trees, climbing jasmine are all the lucky beneficiaries on this island off the tip of Italy’s toe. We spent a few days there this June and wanted to share some of our favourite finds.
Ascend through fragrant gardens to reach this beautiful villa perched high on a hill overlooking the sea. Built by the British painter, Robert Kitson in 1905, a steady stream of visitors through the early twentieth century included Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, Roald Dahl, Ezra Pound, Salvador Dali and Sir Frank Brangwyn. Things have been almost entirely retained so you can just imagine them spilling out onto the terrace or gathering around the piano in the dining room. Heaven for artists and writers, you can take a tour of the house and garden and even stay the night upstairs at the B&B – which has access to the most perfect breakfast room right at the top of the house with a sunny balcony overlooking Mount Etna. Having inherited the house in the 1940’s Daphne Phelps’ book, A House in Sicily is a great read that shares some of the characters and stories of Casa Cuseni.
Madonna della Rocca
It is worth making the effort to visit this tiny church built into the rocks of Monte Tauro, overlooking Taormina. Built in 1640 it was said that Mary and Jesus appeared to a shepherd who had taken refuge here during a storm. Dramatic dark rock makes up the roof of the grotto, with pretty frescoes adorning the walls. The views from the terrace outside are otherworldly – do follow the lane behind the church to find a simple roadside bar serving freshly squeezed orange juice and sit on plastic chairs to take it in.
Palazzo di Lorenzo Castelluccio
There is a masculine feel about the Baroque city of Noto with its vast city gates, imposing architecture and rigidly pruned trees giving shade to communal squares. Set against this is the sweet scent of jasmine that climbs up the buildings, and the cool of palazzo courtyards set back from the streets. One worth visiting is Palazzo di Lorenzo – a kind of shrine to the Grand Tour. The staircase is hung with hundreds of artworks offering the impressions of young Europeans as they discovered Sicily on their travels and there’s a whole room filled with collected curiosities – shells, birds eggs, coral, butterflies and taxidermy.
Corrado Assenza brought fame to this small family-run pasticceria when he was featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table. The episode is worth watching before you head off on holiday – you won’t be able to stop thinking about the icy granita, pretty cassata and fluffy brioche until you visit the shop itself. To one side a chilled counter is filled with rows of sugary delicacies, whilst to the other there’s a bar at which to stand for a glass of cold, sweet almond milk or a scoop of almond granita served with brioche and espresso; a typical Sicilian breakfast. Do buy a bag of the almond biscotti to take home or pick out a few perfectly shaped marzipan fruits.
A Little Bird Loves
