Sicily lights up the quiet beauty of winter
These are the ideal months for discovering unusual faces of the area among museums, gardens and daring swims
Key points
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa loved winter. He took refuge in the botanical alcoves of Castello San Marco. In the garden of the fortified villa in Bagheria, which still belongs to his noble cousins, the Lanza Filangeri barons, the author of The Leopard would enter through the courtesy gate, as is still done today. Having stopped the carriage where those ancient and elegant means of transport still dwell, he would choose in which of the gardens he would linger gracefully reading: the Floretta, among viburnums, pools of papyrus and pythosflowers, or the Fruttiera with coloured citrus trees, Dracena plants, centuries-old olive trees and a grove of Schinus molle. In its day, however, that platoon of Kroenleinia grusonii, also known as 'mother-in-law's pillow', which punctuates the third garden, that of succulents and cacti, had not yet been deployed.
The Villa Igiea itineraries in Palermo
You can reach this noble residence on the outskirts of Palermo - not far from Villa Palagonia, famous for its grotesque sculptures perched on the city walls, and Villa Cattolica, which houses, along with splendid Sicilian carts, the paintings and tomb of Renato Guttuso - starting from Villa Igiea, hotel Rocco Forte, already prepared for Christmas. In the former residence of the Florio dynasty, lying by the sea near the nostalgic tuna fishery on the Addaura and embellished by the eclecticism of architect Ernesto Basile and the passionate hand of Ettore De Maria Bergler in the furnishings, frescoes, wooden staircases, friezes and decorations, while waiting to taste chef Fulvio Pierangelini's grilled panettone, a sartorial Christmas tree has been decorated: made of silk scarves, fabrics and bows, tells of the elegant craftsmanship of the Tagliatore fashion house. Also in Palermo, Palazzo Butera is certainly worth discovering in the quiet of December, to see the Valsecchi collection and taste the exceptional cannolo alla manna in the MadoniEat Bistrot.
In Agrigento among the citrus fruits of the Kolymbethra Garden
Moving on to Agrigento, we find a former prison where the cells now keep their doors open. All visitors can make the rounds, but to admire from above Porta di Ponte and the incipit of Via Atenea, and then stroll through the cloister and garden, until they come across a splendid portal in the chiaramontano style belonging to the pre-existing convent erected in 1432: certainly the conversion of the former San Vito prison into a contemporary art space entrusted to Farm Cultural Park is a way of celebrating the end of the year in which Agrigento, with a carnet of over a thousand events, was the Italian capital of culture. The rebirth of the area has also been marked by the recent reopening of Case Montana, a farmhouse nestled on a very friable rocky ridge, in the heart of the Kolymbethra Citrus Garden, managed by the Fai, which now enriches its proposal for a sensory experience made up of the scent of orange blossoms and orange blossoms: in fact, there are 660 trees of rare varieties growing blissfully behind the Temple of the Dioscuri, thanks to the care given to them in the twenty-five years of the foundation's management. Not far away, one can wait for the sunset, almost always tinged with violet, walking among the eucalyptus trees and the natural light marl architecture of the Torre Salsa Reserve or on the sand of the long beach of Bovo Marina, then warming up in the saunas immersed in the Mediterranean maquis of the Adler Spa Resort Sicilia, which, respecting the delicate surrounding environment, lies on a promontory not far from the vertiginous theatre of Eraclea Minoa, dating back to the 4th century B.C.
Between Catania and Linguaglossa
In Catania, meanwhile, this is an ideal time to experience the hustle and bustle of A' Piscaria, the fish market at the Archi della Marina. To be ready just before dawn, when the fresh grouper stalls are set up, you can stay at the Vuciata Apartments, overlooking this veracious stage of voices, smells and tastes. Try also those prepared by Scirocco, a street food joint that sets up its tables practically among the shrimp and gilthead sea bream stalls, as good as its menu. Gastronomic, and above all volcanic, is also the adventure that can begin in Linguaglossa, on the slopes of Mount Etna: the Pennisi family, butchers for many generations, and in particular the head of the family, Saro, share with guests the pleasure of a cuisine that, like a ritual, is experienced just a few metres from the meat and cheese counter. Having gorged or stocked up on these delicacies, one can make the ascent up to the Central Crater of the volcano, at an altitude of 3,300 metres, always accompanied by official alpine or volcanological guides, and then reward oneself on the way back with dinner at the Boutique Hotel Shalai, housed in a 19th-century building and where the brilliant star chef Giovanni Santoro cooks. The more daring can also attempt a winter swim, as so many Sicilians are wont to do, in the reopened beach beneath the archaeological park of Selinunte, stretching out under the acropolis. Less daring, but still unforgettable, is to reach Scicli to visit the new Museum of Contemporary Art in the former Convento del Carmine in late Baroque style, revealing an enthusiasm for renewal that also takes shape at Pensiero, the restaurant overlooking the heart of nearby Modica, where innovators Alessandro Musso and Pierclaudio Ruta make people fall in love with their version of the ancient Biancomangiare.
