As if it was not “exotic” enough to get married in Malta, we had to go somewhere else for our “honeymoon”! So there we are, in southern Sicily, in the province of Ragusa. We settled for the week in UNESCO Heritage Scicli, a small community – no less than 25,000 people though.
Chosen in good part because of the hotel, Novecento, “un piccolo Hotel di Charme” to quote the literature on the place. It’s a 4-star (it felt more like a 5-star!), in a restored palace (antique, one would say, as it goes back to the 900s!), located in the heart of Scicli (which is one of the 8 towns of the Val di Noto that rebuilt after the infamous 1693 earthquake!). Got wind of it through our favorite hotel reference and booking site, i-escape (see at the end of this for the i-escape description of the place). We stayed in the suite (room 907). .
Lots to see in Scicli – churches mainly (about 10, 3 of them nearby the hotel – S. Giovanni Evangilista; S. Michele Arcangelo; S Teresa!), but also just the feel of this well-preserved antique, full of relief, city. Walked up to San Matteo Church, dominating the city – just ruins, I don’t think the church was ever finished! Lunch the first day at the restaurant at the heart of the old city, via Francesco Mormino Penna, a place called MilleNnium – Cy had a tagliolini ai funghi porcini con salsiccia (sausage) all nero d’avela; I had a trofie cream di carciofi e bacon; we shared the mozzarelline darate; with house local red wine…
Late afternoon walk in the city – the exteriors of Chiesa Madre (Chiesa de Sant’Ignazio), Pallozzo Fava and Chiesa San Bartolomeo, the latter beautifully nested at the end of a street between sharp rock escarpments goes back to the 15th century (the only church in Scicli apparently to have survived the infamous earthquake) and has been adorned by an elongated pastel-colored façade early in the 19th century. A look at the Palazzo Beneventano with its gargouille-like creatures that ornate its balconies and one of the corners.
No dinner that night – a glass of white wine – local Altavilla Della Corte from the Firriato winery, made of the (Grillo?) or Insolia grape (most current in these parts – « ce cépage un peu oublié a été mis en valeur grâce à une viticulture de qualité (faibles rendements par hectares ) et une vinification qui met en valeur la fraîcheur de ce vin ainsi que ses notes très originales de miel et d’agrumes. Si l’attaque est vive, la finale est douce et longue »), followed by champagne (Mumm) and strawberries, courtoisie de la maison, in the room!
December 26, 2010
Hotel Novecento
http://www.i-escape.com/places_to_stay_overview.php?hotel_key=1149#overview
Scicli, Sicily
Intimate and perfectly formed bijou hotel in a gorgeous but little-known Sicilian Baroque town.
A higgledy-piggledy mosaic of tiny pantiled houses embracing a fine Baroque core, Scicli spills along 3 valleys dominated by dramatic cave-pocked cliffs. Novecento, Scicli’s first (and so far only) hotel, is an ideal base for anyone wanting a taste of life in an old-fashioned Sicilian town, while exploring the Baroque jewels, unspoiled sandy beaches, gastronomy and countryside of southeastern Sicily.
Quietly located in the centre of town, 6 rooms and a suite occupy a 19th-century palazzo of luminous local limestone. Sinuous 1950s Flos chandeliers, exposed stone vaults, tall vases of tangled orchids and willow, an antique sofa reupholstered in cream and black devoré combine to make this the kind of hotel that it feels good to walk into. Owners and staff are warm and enthusiastic, rooms are designed to be comfortable hideaways as well as aesthetically pleasing, and little touches, like hot fresh ricotta for breakfast and a fine collection of lithographs by the artists of the prestigious Gruppo di Scicli, root the hotel firmly in its community.
The two-roomed suite is vast (36 sq.m.), its ceiling retaining original frescos of seascapes, landscapes and angels, and the walls – painted to echo the original deep rose-brick – hung with lithographs by Sarnari, Guccione, Polizzi, Sonia Alvarez and Zucchero.
Breakfast is generous and original, served on circular tables set with heavy taupe linen in an elegant dining room with a Heals-type sideboard, ornate Baroque mirror and Medusa chandelier. Local produce features strongly – there are hand-made jams, Sicilian honeys, creams of pistachio and hazelnuts, hand-made almond biscuits, cakes, ricotta still hot from the farm, lemon and chocolate puddings, fresh fruit salad and plenty of fresh bread. Hot dishes, such as scrambled or fried eggs with bacon, ham or sausages can also be ordered.
