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ITALY SICILY TAORMINA SAN DOMENICO PALACE HOTEL
Arriving in a taxi from Catania airport (about 30 miles away), I was relieved to march into the entrance hall, and to admire those objects which are found throughout the extensive public rooms – pieces of antique furniture, Old Master paintings and ancient reliquaries. This is a place of civilized luxury, in which a distinguished history is matched by a welcoming present.
I have already mentioned the extensive public rooms. They are cool, spacious and well-furnished in a traditional manner. In one of them, I came upon a framed photograph of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother – an unexpected delight for your royalist correspondent. You might care to know that other former guests have included Cary Grant, Kaiser Wilhelm II and the playwright Pirandello. Clearly, the San Domenico appeals to lots of different sorts of people.
Chef Mantarro’s skill shines yet more brightly, however, in the smallest of the restaurants in the hotel, the Principe Cerami. In this room of dark and warm colours (pictured), the dishes are more complicated and the presentation is more painterly. The fine glassware is by Riedel and the napery is grey. I was pleased to observe that my fellow diners were dressed very well indeed.
The hotels wine list is extensive. For you, dear reader, I sat down and counted. There are 763 bottles, 53 magnums and 19 halves. Prices range from 30€ for several local wines to 5,690€ for 1998 Pétrus. (You will need to keep your wits about you if you want to drink the grand clarets. I noticed that the Margaux from the difficult vintage of 1997 was 805€, but that from the far better year of 1999 was 575€.) The following caught my eye: Cristal champagne 2000 (800€), Brunello di Montalcino, Biondi Santi riserva 1990 (1,900€) and 1995 Sassicaia (480€). These, of course, are some of the more expensive offerings. But the charming and knowledgeable sommelière, Tiziana Pezzuti, directed me to some excellent bottles with lower prices. My reds comprised several My breakfasts were had in the largest restaurant, Les Bourgainvillées (pictured). From the buffet I took fruit tarts, croissants, ham, cheese, bread rolls and orange juice, and to my table were brought pots of coffee, dishes of ice cubes and onion omelettes. Thus was I set up handsomely for my days in the pretty streets of Taormina. Throughout my wanderings there was always the uplifting prospect of a happy return. For my final destination each day was the hotel for which I knew I now felt both affection and loyalty – the San Domenico Palace.
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ADDRESSES
SAN DOMENICO PALACE HOTEL
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© Francis Bown 2003
Some hotels are so deliciously gorgeous that they inspire intense affection and fierce loyalty. I love ancient buildings and I adore beautiful gardens. For an hotel to possess both makes me think that such a blessing can only be of divine origin. And that thought is particularly appropriate with regard to this establishment, for it started life in the 14th century as the home of a religious community. Yet there is even more to commend this famous hostelry, for it is located in Taormina, perhaps the prettiest town in Sicily (and Sicily has an abundance of pretty towns). It is small wonder that the guest book reads like a list of every European person of note over the past one hundred years. Truly, you would have to be very odd indeed not to want to stay at the San Domenico Palace.
Let me attempt to describe the garden first. It is at the back of the hotel, and forms a vast terrace, overlooking the Ionian Sea far below. In what must surely be one of the most atmospheric spots in Europe, sunshine warms the roses and the jasmine and the orange blossom. It warmed me, too, as I wandered along the narrow pathways. Through the foliage, were glimpses of the bell tower and of the windows of the monastic cells. I sat on a bench and looked across the hillside at the town of Taormina and its ancient glory, the Greek Theatre. Then I strolled along to the other end of the garden and settled myself on a wooden seat. From this shaded vantage-point, as the bees went about their business among petals of red and purple and gold, I gazed at the backdrop of my scene. Mighty Etna, snow-capped and proud, smoked lazily in the heat of the afternoon.
When the temperature in the garden rose a little too sharply, I found it wise to retreat to the larger of the two cloisters. Here, next to trees of lemon and palm and by arches of Renaissance perfection, I would order a pot of lapsang with lemon. I sipped the cup that cheers to the sound of birdsong, and thought more than once that there could be no better place for tea in the whole wide world.
The monastery was turned into an hotel in the 1890s. It was then that the large ‘Grand Hotel’ extension was built. Rooms can be had in the original monastery, but – having been the cells of the Benedictines – they are slightly small, so I would suggest in that part of the building you should have a suite. (Prices vary considerably according to date, so you should check them on the internet.)
My own billet was in the newer part. Room 360 was a ‘Deluxe double, Grand Hotel, sea view’. In through a small hallway, I found a decent chamber with cream walls, a floor of red tiles and a ten-foot ceiling. Its wooden furniture was of rustic design. On its walls were prints of Antique vases in gilt frames. In the tiled bathroom were Acqua di Parma toiletries, a tub of proper size, one wash basin and a bidet. Yet the chief glory of this air-conditioned apartment was out through the double doors: a terrace, made private by high walls on either side, with a table and chairs of wrought iron and a view to warm the coldest heart. Set out before me were the blues of sky and ocean, and – once again – the bleached red bricks of the distant Greek Theatre.
With its abundance of space, the hotel has various dining rooms. During my visit, I dined first in the Antico Refettorio (pictured), an impressive space with some decent oil paintings on the walls. I sat at a large round table with an off-white cloth, on which stood glassware by Walther and a single, tapered candle. The melodies of the pianist in the adjacent bar drifted in. In this thoroughly relaxing setting I thought I would eat well. And I did.
Executive Chef Massimo Mantarro (pictured) is a man who likes to serve traditional Italian food, made carefully from good ingredients. His approach is to be applauded. It provided me with meals full of pleasure. Portions were substantial and the service was proper. My meals included lovely marinated salmon with local citrus fruit, excellent San Daniele ham carved by the table, soft fetuccini with tomatoes and aubergine, an enormous chateaubriand with Béarnaise sauce, a really tasty rack of lamb with rosemary sauce and a satisfying version of pears in red wine. (Allow around 100/110 euros for four courses.)
I began with the finest dish I ate on my visit – a superbly tender quail breast, which had been marinated in honey and which was served with warm goose foie gras, pearls of melon and orange marmalade. This was a glorious and effective combination of tastes and textures. Next was spaghetti, with Ragusano cheese, black pepper and (surprisingly good) shavings of local truffle. My meat course was a handsome piece of veal sirloin, with an effective Marsala wine reduction. I concluded this fine meal with a dish I had never eaten before, a cream pudding with green peas. These four courses were 132€. (A five course tasting menu is 100€.) I was looked after throughout the evening with exemplary courtesy by the tall and imposing 1st maitre d’, Giuseppe Melita.
splendid versions of Nero d’Avola, including a brilliant combination with the Frappato grape, which yielded an impressive density of ripe black fruit and a wonderfully firm structure (Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Pithos, Cos, 2008 - 55€). (As with all Sicilian red wines, I would advise opening the bottle only shortly before drinking, so that sweetness does not take over.) Of my splendid whites, I will point you to the steely structure and elegance of a fine Grillo (Ottoventi, 2009 - 46€). 
