Villa Igiea Palermo Hotel

Italy

If you’ve ever envisaged yourself as an Italian aristocrat of a bygone era, Villa Igiea hones the fantasy. Dating back to 1900, the Sicilian stone palazzo was the handiwork of esteemed architect Ernesto Basile, who designed it for the Florio family, and it was later restored by Rocco Forte Hotels. A short hop from Palermo, the clifftop villa overlooks the Tyrrhenian Sea. Staying here feels like walking into the belle époque history books, following in the footsteps of luminaries and royals – the King George V suite is named after his residence in 1925. Across all rooms and suites, art nouveau style meets contemporary vision to form elegant spaces awash with tones of clay, sage and pinkish beige, adorned with frescoes, Sicilian tiles and marble. After dips in the pool (look for the classical ruin at the water’s edge), head to the terraced cocktail bar for aperitivo hour before plates of ricotta ravioli, salted baked sea bass and Sicilian-style stuffed pork at Florio Restaurant.

Doubles from £483. 00 39 0632 888590, roccofortehotels.com

Words by Megan Dickson.

This review was taken from the June 2023 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe today, click here.