Castiglione di Sicilia, Catania, Sicily, Italy

The palace overlooks Piazza di S. Antonio Abate, at the highest point of the historic centre of the small village of Castiglione di Sicilia, surrounded by splendid Baroque sacred architecture and sumptuous aristocratic palaces. The property occupies almost an entire block of the neighbourhood and is composed of two bodies, which respectively a private residence - which once belonged to a clergyman, whose splendour is clearly recognisable inside the building - and a restaurant, the result of the recent renovation of the old cellar and storerooms that once belonged to the Monsignor.
The restaurant is accessed from a narrow alley between the old buildings, characteristic for its views of the church bell towers. A courtyard anticipates the entrance to the restaurant and becomes the ideal place for outdoor tastings, with its cistern and typical lava stone seats against the richly decorated façade. In the room on the ground floor there are the kitchen and guest toilets, while on the upper floor is located the restaurant room with parquet flooring and exposed wooden beams, a space for about 50 seats. From the courtyard it is possible to access the old lava stone cellar for storing wines and the terrace on the first level, which becomes a bridge connecting the two buildings and a potential additional outdoor space to be dedicated to commercial activities.
The nineteenth-century aristocratic palace is composed of large, bright rooms and is on three independent levels. The mezzanine floor houses the smaller rooms, including the storerooms and the kitchen with wood-burning oven, while the first level houses the main floor, an elegant flat with seven rooms in typical Sicilian style overlooking the square. On the second and last floor there is a large room, ideal for a second living unit. Two rooms for garage use on the ground floor complete the property.
The property is in need of restoration work to bring back the decorations and marvels of the past.

Castiglione di Sicilia is a characteristic village rich in history and architecture, perched on a hill over 600 metres above sea level on the northern slope of Etna, overlooking the entire Alcantara valley. The property is located in the oldest part of the village, surrounded by the beautiful Lauria Castle, home of the regional wine shop. The village is located in an interesting area in terms of landscape and eno-gastronomy, especially for the presence of the most important wine cellars of Etna. Castiglione di Sicilia is also home to a Golf Club, the first 18-hole golf course on Sicilian soil, located in a natural amphitheatre on the northern side of the mountain and only 6 km from the property. Taormina is 22 km away and the international airport of Catania can be reached in about an hour's drive.