Guido Coffa Etna Bianco
Guido Coffa Etna Bianco Locanda Nerello, Monaci delle Terre Nere Carricante, says Guido Coffa, is a variety that needs a couple of years in bottle to express itself fully: his Etna Bianco, 100% carricante, opens up in the glass to reveal camomile and mountain herbs on the nose and a burst of tropical fruit on the palate. The vineyards, along with olive groves, vegetable gardens and chicken coops, are part of his stunning 25ha estate, Monaci delle Terre Nere: part of Relais & Châteaux, the property offers rooms and villas – some with pools – nestled among the vines, olives and cypresses, as well as a smart-but-laid-back restaurant, Locanda Nerello. Try Coffa’s Etna Bianco alongside spaghetti sauced with magghia anchovies from the Gulf of Catania, garlic, olive oil and toasted breadcrumbs. If you are staying for a couple of nights, make sure you also have dinner at the lovely Quattro Archi di Grasso Rosario in Milo, eight kilometres to the north. monacidelleterrenere.it Palmento Rosso, Vino di Anna San Giorgio e il Drago, Randazzo Anna Martens and Eric Narioo’s flagship red is a nerello-heavy “field blend”, fermented in the couple’s lovingly restored, 300-year-old palmento and made in a light, fruity style. San Giorgio e il Drago’s encyclopaedic and great-value wine list features Palmento Rosso and a clutch of other Vini di Anna, including Jeudi 15. In the pretty, medieval town of Randazzo, housed in what was once a monastery and then a distillery, the restaurant’s menu is mountainously meaty: try house-made raviolini with ragù, perhaps, followed by rabbit stewed with capers, onions and white wine. A great spot for a long lunch. ristorantesangiorgioeildrago.it Rosso di Sandro Cave Ox Pizza Bar, Solicchiata Sandro Dibella is a local legend, and his eponymous wine – made in his honour by his friend Frank Cornelissen, and only available at Sandro’s restaurant-cum-wine cellar in Solicchiata – is a classic field blend: 80% nerello mascalese, with an assortment of other (mostly white) grapes. Pale and irresistibly fruity, pour yourself a glass and ask Sandro for a tour of his remarkable cellar, which features wines from all over the world but in which, of course, the wines of Etna are particularly well represented. His osteria offers a classic pizza and pasta menu, crafted from top-notch ingredients. caveox.it Etna Rosso, SRC In Cucina Dai Pennisi SRC (a pun on esserci, Italian for “to be here“) has a superb portfolio of wines: try the high-altitude Rivaggi red, or the almost Burgundian Etna Rosso, available at In Cucina Dai Pennisi, a butcher, deli, wine merchant and restaurant in the middle of Linguaglossa. It is the perfect partner for one of Pennisi’s properly aged steaks (check out the meat fridge by the entrance), although you should scour the counter and kick off with some cheese – a sweet provola, yellow from summer milk, perhaps – and salumi: both the silky, dry-cured ham and the herbflecked porchetta are terrific. Under the same ownership as the nearby Shalai, a boutique hotel with a seriously good, Michelin-starred restaurant. daipennisi.it Pietradolce Etna Rosso Vuciata, Catania Pietradolce’s vines and the peaks beyond Founded in 2005 by Sicilian native Michele Faro, Pietradolce (the name means “sweet stone”) is one of Etna’s pioneers of quality wine. The winery’s entry-level Etna Rosso – tart and medium-bodied, with redcurrant and sour cherry fruit – is made with 100% nerello mascalese, from bush vines at 800 metres. It is sold by the half-bottle at Vuciata, a cracking restaurant just an arancino’s throw from Catania’s superb, flamboyant, chaotic fish market. Should flight times permit (and it just a 15-minute cab ride from the airport) there is no finer way to say arrivederci to Sicily than a table on Vuciata’s terrace, a glass or two of wine, and a tagliata made with glisteningly fresh seared tuna, a tangle of bitter cicoria on the side. vuciata.com PHOTOS FROM TOP: ALFIO GAROZZO, © PIETRADOLCE, ALFIO GAROZZO 76 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM PLEASE CHECK THE LATEST GOVERNMENT ADVICE BEFORE BOOKING TRAVEL OR DEPARTING ON ANY TRIP
VILLA CONFIDENTIAL PHOTOS FROM TOP: © THE THINKING TRAVELLER, FRANCIS AMIAND (2), PUCCI SCAFIDI S icily is a land of extremes and contrasts, a magnification of all things Italian,” says Rossella Beaugié, who founded The Thinking Traveller, a bijou collection of luxe properties in Italy and Greece, in 2002 with her husband, Huw. A native Sicilian, Beaugié is a passionate advocate of her homeland, extolling the “wonderful climate that makes the island visitable all year round. And there’s always something to do, whether it be lounging on golden beaches, hiking in the mountains, visiting ancient archaeological sites, exploring the numerous historic towns and villages, skiing on Mount Etna or shopping in Palermo’s fashionable boutiques.” Here, she shortlists some of her favourite properties in Sicily. thethinkingtraveller.com Iddu, Salina, the Aeolian Islands For splendid isolation, away from it all, Iddu is the perfect retreat on Salina. I love the typical Aeolian architecture, the extensive terraces looking out across the sea to the islands of Panarea and Stromboli, the luxuriant, exotic gardens, the spacious kitchen, where you can cook with a view, and the super-cute kids’ bedroom. It is hidden away from the world and yet within easy strolling distance of the excellent restaurant and spa of the Capo Faro Resort. Rocca delle Tre Contrade, Santa Venerina I’ve yet to find a more inspiring pool than Rocca delle Tre Contrade’s: L-shaped, 25m-long, and with several infinity edges, it is oriented so that swimmers can do laps between the sea and Mount Etna. Surrounded by lemon orchards, whose blossom perfumes the air, this awe-inspiring, magnificently appointed villa offers space galore, a pampering team of staff, including cook, plus a tennis court, a spa and a gym: all you could possibly desire for a truly memorable milestone celebration. › From top: the idyllic pool area at Baglio della Luce in Scicli; alfresco dining and a delightfully eclectic living room at Rocca delle Tre Contrade; Rossella and Huw Beaugié CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 77
