In Sicily, a prince’s farmhouse is transformed into a luxury resort
Il San Corrado di Noto, a new Relais & Chateaux property in Italy, opens for its first full season.
Stonewashed villas, private azure pools, rolling lawns: Il San Corrado di Noto sounds fit for a prince. Which, in fact, it was — the 18th century masseria in southeast Sicily was once owned by Prince Nicolaci, whose family fostered some of the finest expressions of baroque architecture in the region.
Hemmed with olive groves and citrus trees, the former fortified farmhouse has been reimagined as a new Relais & Chateaux boutique hotel. Featuring 26 spacious suites and eight pool villas, the property came into its modern form through the dutiful handiwork of local stonemasons and woodworkers, who took care to preserve its history while injecting the property with luxury — and a little dose of glamour.
This standard-setting launch marks the first luxury opening in the area. Five-star amenities abound, including a yoga pavilion and spa, a full-sized tennis court, a self-contained boutique and, of course, the resort’s crowning jewel: a glinting, turquoise pool rimmed by open-air cabanas. (Though if privacy is a non-negotiable, select villas come with their own private plunge pools.)
Head chef Paolo Gionfriddo expresses the language of the surrounding region through his cuisine. Gourmet restaurant Principe di Belludia offers elevated Sicilian plates from duck leg ragout to pigeon breast with seared foie gras to black truffle ice cream, while Osteria Casa Pasta celebrates farm-to-table regional dishes.
The resort also makes the perfect base for exploring Val di Noto — a UNESCO-listed heritage site — and the area’s quaint villages. Stroll around Noto proper and lick basil-flecked gelato off a wafer cone from Caffe Sicilia, or gorge on rustic bread topped with tomatoes so red they’ll rival your sunburn. Also well worth seeing is the nearby archaeological park, Noto Antica, which contains ruins of the old town left behind after the earthquake of 1693 devastated much of the area.
Il San Corrado di Noto opens in April 2022 for its first full season. Rooms start at €590 ($880) a night with breakfast.
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