Hotel Novecento

Intimate and perfectly formed bijou hotel in a gorgeous but little-known Sicilian Baroque town.

A higgledy-piggledy mosaic of tiny pantiled houses embracing a fine Baroque core, Scicli spills along 3 valleys dominated by dramatic cave-pocked cliffs. Novecento, Scicli’s first (and so far only) hotel, is an ideal base for anyone wanting a taste of life in an old-fashioned Sicilian town, while exploring the Baroque jewels, unspoilt sandy beaches, gastronomy and countryside of southeastern Sicily.

Quietly located in the centre of town, 6 rooms and a suite occupy a 19th-century palazzo of luminous local limestone. Sinuous 1950s Flos chandeliers, exposed stone vaults, tall vases of tangled orchids and willow, an antique sofa reupholstered in cream and black devoré combine to make this the kind of hotel that it feels good to walk into. Owners and staff are warm and enthusiastic, rooms are designed to be comfortable hideaways as well as aesthetically pleasing, and little touches, like hot fresh ricotta for breakfast and a fine collection of lithographs by the artists of the prestigious Gruppo di Scicli, root the hotel firmly in its community.

Highs

• Seamless fusion of 100 years of design: from Liberty to Artemide via Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe
• Sumptuous bathrooms with vibrant Bisazza mosaics
• Complimentary soft drinks in the minibar
• Three rooms and the suite retain original frescoed ceilings
• Solo travellers can book a beautiful single room opening on to a terrace overlooking the courtyard
• Caffe 900, with its furniture of wenge and beech, is evolving into a stylish rendezvous for breakfast or an aperitif

Lows

• No massages or spa
• Although children are welcome, this is a quiet and intimate hotel, best suited to adults (especially couples)
• The only outside space is a small shady courtyard, which is too cool for al fresco breakfasts outside midsummer
• You really need to have a car here, it's a remote location and taxi service is non-existent