History, architecture, location. The San Domenico Palace in Taormina is made truly unique by a melange of factors that turn this Four Seasons hotel (owned by the Statuto Group) into a highly sought-after destination of boundless allure. It was even chosen as the set of the second season of the award-winning HBO series “The White Lotus.”
The San Domenico Palace is perched on a cliff over the Ionian Sea, in a Dominican convent dating to 1374, which was turned into a hotel in 1896 with the addition of an Art Nouveau-style building. Long a destination for the Grand Tours in Italy of nobility and illustrious personalities in arts and entertainment, it has welcomed the likes of Oscar Wilde, King Edward VIII, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, and Sophia Loren.
A recent renovation has made the hotel shine even brighter, with a joint design project with architect Valentina Pisani, who designed the indoor and outdoor spaces, Rosaria Catania Cucchiara, who oversaw the historical restoration, and landscape architect Marco Bay who redesigned the Italian gardens.
The atmosphere of intimacy, lightness, and refinement (brought by the use of local materials and works of art) is expressed in its common areas and its culinary options alike. It has 111 rooms and suites, including the Royal Suite that opens onto a large terrace and a swimming pool overlooking Mount Etna, an ancient Greek theater, and the sea.
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Its uncommon ambiance is heightened by the furnishings and interiors designed by Poliform Contract (to the design of the architect Valentina Pisani), which combines with an extensive array of loose furniture from its collection and custom-made designs for rooms, suites, and the roof bar.
