Masseria degli Ulivi

Press Reviews

The Times, April 2009:
"A peaceful and remote hotel in the hills with a stunning pool and simple, rustic rooms. A short drive up a winding road to the hills above the lovely town of Noto brings you to the incredibly tranquil 'Farmhouse of Olives'. Simple, comfy rooms have high beamed ceilings; some are split level, which will suit families. But it's the setting which makes it: you're in the depths of nature, with Sicily's most spectacular river gorge and her loveliest Baroque town both on your doorstep."

Travel + Leisure, August 2007
"I think of an epic lunch I had at the Masseria degli Ulivi, outside Noto, where the chef is Salvatore Guarino. It started with panella—chickpea paste formed into long strips and fried, which we dipped into olive oil pressed at the masseria. Then came a carpaccio di pesce con limone, also with olive oil. Then sweet-and-sour rabbit with vegetables—a lighter version of a traditional Sicilian dish. Then ravioli stuffed with dentriche, a type of firm, white fish, served with a light sauce made of squid ink and dentriche broth, and a flat, lacy goat-cheese biscuit. Then a filetto of meltingly tender beef, cooked for 14 hours, on a bed of risotto flavored powerfully with verbena. Then grilled swordfish with sundried-tomato ice cream. The seventh course was meaty, slender lamb ribs with puréed eggplant marmalade and a vinegar-reduction sauce made with Nero d'Avola, Syrah, thyme, and honey, and olive-oil gelato. Finally came dessert: fig gelato with caramelized carob fruits."
[Editor's note: lunch is no longer served, except on Sundays]

Guest Reviews

Reviews are only from people who have stayed there and booked through i-escape.

• “Beautiful location, very peaceful. Friendly reception and nice restaurant. Highly recommended for a peaceful escape (but quite isolated)”
  Charlotte, United Kingdom (30.09.11)

• “We had a great stay - particularly impressed with the service in the restaurant both at breakfast and dinner (we ate there 5 nights out of 10). The food was delicious (short menu but can't fault the quality), breakfast was relaxed (and the waiter Guiseppe remembered our coffee order every day without having to be asked). It would have been good to have a bit more room in the fridge for bottles of water. And for our first summer holiday away without our children in over 20 years, it was exactly what we wanted - quiet, civilised, charming and nobody else's children either. The pool was big enough, there were plenty of sun loungers and enough shade under the olive trees to satisfy anyone. When I told my daughter (aged 20) that there as no satellite TV, no internet in the rooms and no bar/pub/club within walking distance she told me she was glad she'd not come with us. A definite result!
  
  We ate out at the Falco pizzeria/restaurant in the next village down the hill to Noto - very nice - and a buzzing busy place on the way up to Palazzolla which I think was called the Trout (or something similar) - also very good although as it's some way up a gravel driveway I wasn't convinced it was actually open until we saw the heaving carpark. Both places were obviously popular with local families - always good to find.
  
  Don't feel tempted to stay at this hotel without a car - it really is remote (finding the tiny signs when we arrived from Catania after dark was, let's say, challenging) but a fantastic place to visit the sights and villages of South East Sicily. We stayed our whole holiday here, but next time (there will be a next time) we might combine it with somewhere in the north of the Island where we might have a better chance of seeing that volcano without a covering of cloud.
  
  PS the complimentary bottle of wine was very tasty - but the recommendations from the wine list by Franco were better! I'm no wine buff but he obviously knows his stuff.”
  Suzy, United Kingdom (23.09.11)

• “STUNNING POOL - best pool setup i've ever encountered, so much space to lie in the sun, shade (under the olive trees), so peaceful and relaxing, unbelievably quiet.
  A bit of a pity that you can't have lunch there - as if you are really going for R&R you might not want to get in the car to find lunch.
  
  Calamosche is a beautiful beach but its a 1km walk from the car park and very off the beaten track.
  Tratoria Balglieri Crocifisso is great in Noto, but very hard to find (Rough Guide has it totally wrong on its map which doesn't help).”
  Serena, United Kingdom (11.07.11)

• “Lovely place to stay and very friendly and welcoming. Also very well signposted from Noto which was ESSENTIAL. Only comment would be that the beds were extremely hard!!!”
  Margaret, United Kingdom (09.10.10)