Palazzo San Domenico

This is one of the greatest hotels of Italy, with a pedigree so impressive that it evokes a national monument. Having housed such illustrious guests as François Mitterand and Winston Churchill, it's the envy of other hoteliers of Taormina. Set in the heart of the resort's oldest neighborhood, it originated in the 14th century as a semifortified Dominican monastery. Today, after generations of meticulous upgrades, it's surrounded by walled-in terraced gardens lit at night by flickering torches.

Don't expect the interior to look cutting edge and glossy, or as if a team of decorators has just finished moving in the furniture: What you'll find are massive and dignified areas (reception rooms, hideaway chapels, paneled salons) outfitted with museum-quality antiques that have been in place for at least 75 years, a genuinely impressive patina, and a physical setting that no one would ever dare modernize. The result is old-fashioned in the most appealing sense of the word.

Guest rooms are located in either the old monastery part of the hotel, where furnishings are severely dignified and very comfortable, or in the somewhat more opulent "newer" wings, those added in 1897, which evoke the Gilded Age and its aesthetics a bit more richly. Views extend out over the bougainvillea, palms, and citrus trees in the garden to the sea.

When the Monks Come Out at Night -- If you stay at San Domenico, take a walk through the ecclesiastical-looking hallways, chapels, and courtyards late at night, when things are eerily empty and quiet, and when torches flicker exotically in the gardens. That's when the resident ghosts are said to make their appearances. It's the most mystical and otherworldly experience available at any hotel in Sicily.

Facilities:
4 restaurants; piano bar; outdoor heated pool; gym; salon; room service; babysitting; laundry service; dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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