Palazzo Vecchio Taormina

Text and Photography by Mart Engelen  

Taormina has always attracted Mediterranean travellers with an interest in the arts. In the 19th century it was aristocrats on the Grand Tour; nowadays perhaps viewers of ‘The White Lotus’. Taormina’s ancient streets and monuments perch on a cliff on Sicily’s east coast. Creative giants including Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Ezra Pound and Tennessee Williams have all found solace and inspiration here. I have been to Taormina a couple of times before but this time I came to visit a recently opened addition to the five-star luxury circuit: Palazzo Vecchio Taormina. Stefano Gegnacorsi, an icon of Taormina hospitality (for years he was the director of the Grand Hotel Timeo), selected a 19th century noble’s residence built on a 16th century city wall, a few steps from the central Corso Umberto I, to bring his dream of hospitality to life. He chose architect and interior designer Andrea Perra, another prominent name in the world of hospitality, to restyle the Palazzo. They definitely succeeded in Stefano’s wish to recreate the legendary hospitality provided in Taormina’s private homes during the Grand Tour period. This 5-star boutique hotel offers twelve fabulous suites in Venetian Gothic style with fine details inspired by the craftsmanship of countries bordering the Mediterranean, and all with a view of Taormina Bay. My breath was taken away when I arrived at the hotel’s roof terrace with its splendid Blue Sky Bar. Located under the hotel tower, it too offers unrivalled views of Taormina Bay, Isola Bella and, last but not least, the incredible sight of a smoking or erupting Mount Etna. Probably the best place in town for an aperitif with staggering views. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner in the hotel’s Restaurant Monsù, which follows the ancient Sicilian culinary traditions of the Monsù (the professional chefs who worked in aristocratic homes in Sicily in the 18th and 19th centuries). Tuna tartare, almond sauce and sea urchins, pumpkin flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese in rice tempura and red snapper fillet à la siciliana. All impeccable!! Palazzo Vecchio Taormina is a wonderful asset in the town’s top luxury circuit. It is unique, discreet and chic.