Monaci Delle Terre Nere
Zafferana Etnea, ItalyInside, traditional Sicilian architecture is skilfully combined with beautiful design elements, while the color palette reflects the hotel’s location. What’s more, this is one of only three eco-certified hotels in Sicily, which means it was built to the highest environmental standards. The hotel also implements green practices like preparing its own chemical-free cleaning products, serving local organic food, and offering a charging point for electric cars.
The property is centered around a vast park filled with enchanting terraced gardens, lush vineyards, and lots of beautiful walking paths amid olive trees and citrus groves. Guests spend their days either at the pool or de-stressing in the spa offering a rich menu of wellness massages and beauty treatments. Activities like Vinyasa yoga and walking sessions with guided meditation are offered, too.
Guests enjoy their meals in an elegant dining room with tables extending onto a delightful terrace overlooking the lush gardens during summer. Dishes are paired with the excellent wines made in the estate with indigenous varieties of the Etna region, whose fertile volcanic soil and unique microclimates produce extraordinary blends.
The stylish Convivium Bar is great for sipping a nightcap or a pre-dinner drink to the sound of traditional Sicilian tunes. On the menu are signature cocktails like the Monaci Spritz made with an artisanal lemon liquor, and the Volcano featuring vodka, artisanal prickly-pear liquor, lemon juice, and Melissa leaves.
Breakfast is a tasty selection of homemade cakes, bread, jams, local cold meats and cheeses, organic eggs, and freshly squeezed juices. It’s served in the old wine press or outside on the sea-view terrace.
Monaci Delle Terre Nere offers a range of rooms in a range of categories, from Classic to Suite; some are located inside the historic estate, while others are scattered around the park. The interiors boast gorgeously preserved original details like exposed wooden beams and lava-stone walls, mixed with designer furnishings, art pieces, and modern accessories.
All rooms are individually designed and open onto a private outdoor courtyard. Everything spells quality, from the Bose Wifi speakers to the Anyah eco toiletries and the luxury linen. Each room also has a minibar with a selection of local specialties, a coffee machine with organic pods, and a private wine cellar with a selection of Etna wines produced on-site. A concierge service is available for all rooms to assist guests throughout their stay.
There are also some independent villas for guests seeking total privacy. Located inside the old farm buildings that once hosted the granaries and the wine presses, they are spacious and offer lovely private gardens with tables and chairs. One even incorporates ancient lava flow into the walls of the living room, adding a dramatic vibe to the room.
As one of only three hotels in Sicily to have received the eco-certification, Monaci Delle Terre Nere has made sustainability and respect for the environment its core values. The property was refurbished according to the principles of bio-architecture while the on-site restaurant promotes a farm-to-table philosophy.
The hotel’s idyllic setting of nature and tranquillity enables guests to disconnect and enjoy all the peace and quiet of the beautiful Sicilian countryside. Country walks, poolside relaxation, muscle-melting massages, and no TV in the rooms all guarantee the guests’ utmost relaxation and serenity.
Mount Etna is one of Sicily’s natural wonders and its territory is a vast nature reserve of exceptional beauty, the first established in Sicily in the 1980s. Its land of impressive landscapes, delightful villages, rich gastronomy, and the volcano’s unique terroir makes it one of Italy’s top wine-producing districts.
Via Monaci, Via Pietralunga, Sn, Zafferana Etnea, 95019, Italy