Hotel Novecento

Rooms

The 9 rooms have custom-designed oak and wenge beds topped with white linen sheets and heavyweight spreads in muted hues of stone. Bathrooms in particular are places to linger, with voluptuous square-headed showers and boat-shaped sinks by Flaminia, and (in Superior Room 902 and the Suite) deep bathtubs.

The 2-room Suite is vast (36 sq.m), its ceiling retaining original frescoes of seascapes, landscapes and angels. The walls - painted to echo the original rose-coloured brick - are hung with lithographs by Guccione, Polizzi, Sonia Alvarez and Zucchero.

The ground-floor Classic (which is adapted for disabled guests) is also large (20 sq.m) and, like the lobby, vaulted in limestone. The more modestly sized Deluxe Rooms and the Single Room with views over town all have frescoed vaults. If you're travelling with children there's a Triple Room with a kingsize double and an additional bed. There's not much noise in Scicli at night, but the quietest rooms are the Superior Rooms and the Single Room, which look down onto the courtyard.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Minibar/fridge
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast, served on tables set with heavy taupe linen, is a generous spread. Local produce features strongly - there are handmade jams, Sicilian honeys, pistachio and hazelnut creams, handmade almond biscuits, cakes, ricotta still hot from the farm, lemon and chocolate puddings, fresh fruit salad, and plenty of fresh bread. Hot dishes, such as scrambled or fried eggs with bacon, ham or sausages, can also be ordered.

Throughout the day, Caffè 900 has a selection of pastries, freshly filled cannoli and, in summer, granita and smoothies. Drinks include the Eraclea range of hot chocolates, and novelties such as coffee with ginseng.

You'll need to eat out for other meals. There are plenty of places serving hearty Sicilian food: meaty stews, creamy cheeses, crispy pies and pungent Nero d'Avola red wines. Head to Donnalucata (10km away) for seafood - we recommend Ristorante Al Molo for fresh, well-priced fish.

Features include:

• Minibar/fridge
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Explore the gorgeous and underrated town of Scicli on your doorstep: wander down Via Francesco Mormina Penna, lined with magnificent Baroque palaces and churches, to broad Corso Garibaldi, then hike up to the churches of San Matteo and San Bartolomeo, seemingly fused to the limestone cliffs above town
  
  
• Allow at least half a day apiece in the other Baroque towns in the area: Ragusa, Modica and Noto - all within an hour's drive and full of crumbling limestone jewels
  
  
• Spend the day on the long, unspoilt beach of Sampieri, and have a picnic in the evocative, ecclesiastical-like ruins of the abandoned tonnara (tuna factory), used as a location in the Italian TV series Montalbano
  
  
• Visit the enchanting Vendicari Nature Reserve, with its lovely walks, unspoilt sandy beaches and salt lagoons that attract migratory birds such as flamingos; you can almost always find a cove to yourself in spring or autumn
  
  
• Drive down to Portopalo di Capo Passero, the southernmost tip of Sicily, and along the coast to the Isola dei Correnti, which you can wade across to at low tide
  
  
• Explore the troglodytic culture of nearby Cava d’Ispica - a series of cave dwellings and tombs painstakingly cut out of limestone cliffs. If you have the time and energy, you can follow the gorge all the way to Ispica town (12km / 3-4 hours), a lovely walk in springtime
  
  
• The hotel can also arrange an excursion to the ancient caves of Chiafura, inhabited until a few decades ago
  
  
• Sample local produce at sagre (festivals) throughout the area, celebrating sausages, squid, fish and even onions
  
  
• Back in Scicli, visit the Tecnica Mista art gallery on Corso Mazzini to see more of the work of the Gruppo di Scicli
  
  
• Hotel staff can book a tennis court for you (3km away), and point you to places which hire out bicycles (10km away) or windsurf boards (15km away)

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cycling
• Hiking
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Windsurfing
• Wine tasting

Kids

Children are welcome, but with limited outdoor space and a distinctly designer décor, it's only really appropriate for older children or babes in arms. Cots are available free of charge, given advance notice.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Hotel Novecento is in the lovely Baroque town of Scicli in southeast Sicily. It's 10km from the coast, and about 45km from the airport at Comiso.

By Air
Fly to Comiso (45km away) or, if you're touring the whole of Sicily, to Catania (125km away) or Palermo (280km away).

From the Airport
From Catania it's about 2 hours by road to Scicli. There's a bus from the airport which takes around 3 hours, and a train from the centre of Catania which takes a little longer, but most guests hire a car - see our car rental recommendations.

The hotel is a devil to find so make sure you take our directions with you (provided automatically when you confirm a booking through i-escape).