Boutique hotels
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Azienda Agricola Mandranova
- Style
- Farmhouse in the olive groves
- Setting
- Coast into country
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Casa Talia
- Style
- Designers’ playground
- Setting
- Overlooking ancient Modica
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Le Lumie
- Style
- Trad buildings, mod interiors
- Setting
- Secret Modica courtyard
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Seven Rooms Villadorata
- Style
- Gargoyles and grandeur
- Setting
- Noto’s historic heart
Self-catering properties
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La Robazza
- Style
- Mini Mandranova farmhouse
- Setting
- Palm-studded south Sicily hills
Sicily Eating, drinking and dancing
Restaurants
+39 091 582158
Bellotero
This tiny restaurant on the outskirts of the island’s capital is one of the best places in the city for sophisticated Sicilian fare. Dishes such as spaghetti with sea urchin and lemon, and lamb roasted with pistachio, pull in a young, lively crowd of diners.
3 Via Castriota, Palermo
+39 091 684 1415
Bye Bye Blues
Situated in Palermo’s Mondello district, this award-winning restaurant specialises in upmarket Sicilian cooking – rigatoni with tomato, ricotta and aubergine, local cheeses – teamed with selections from its extensive wine cellar.
23 Via del Garofalo, Palermo
+39 095 711 4111
Il Timo Gourmet
It may be part of the overly corporate Sheraton Hotel, but this restaurant is worth a visit if only for chef Saverio Piazza’s fish gnocchi – a super-light combination of sea bass, butter and flour in a delicious garlic sauce.
45 Via Antonello da Messina, 95020 Cannizzaro, Catania
+39 0922 771443
La Madia
Close to the town of Modica, this Michelin-starred restaurant offers high-end local cuisine – pistachio cous cous, seafood and rice croquettes, etc – in gorgeous surroundings.
22 Corso Filippo Re Capriata, 92027 Licata
+39 0932 651265
Ristorante Duomo
Situated in an atmospheric hilltop town, Duomo is a genuine destination restaurant. Chef Ciccio Sultano has garnered a Michelin star for his sophisticated twist on Sicilian cookery – think anchovies served with ricotta or spaghetti in a carrot-juice broth.
31 Via Capitano Bocchieri, 97100 Ragusa
+39 0942 625145
Ristorante Le Naumachie
Tucked away in the backstreets of vertiginous Taormina, Le Naumachie is a sophisticated restaurant on a mission to educate its upmarket clientele about the food and wine of the bel paese. Its knowledgeable staff serve up modern takes on traditional Italian classics, such as squid-ink pasta with wild truffles and sage, and they're also happy to talk you through the extensive list of aperitivi.
8 Via Giardinazzo, 98039 Taormina
No phone
Zia Pina
With just a handful of tables, this homely, back-to-basics trattoria near the port serves up fresh seafood to a predominantly local crowd.
67 Via Argenteria, Palermo
