Pretty arches, linen curtains catching the hot air, and terraces gazing out wistfully towards the other smoking Aeolians. Principe di Salina sits on Salina, the greenest of Italy’s Aeolian islands off the North Eastern coast of Sicily. This is an island scattered in Malvasian vineyards, sugar-cube houses and capers, where everything, from the mule tracks wiggling down to rocky coves, to the topsy turvy antiques shops and Piaggio Ape’s groaning under carts of grapes, falls under the menacing gaze of two (extinct) volcanic peaks.
Principe di Salina can be found in quietly pretty Malfa. Here, white scalloped parasols, day beds and olive trees dot the pool, and the occasional cobalt accent (a bowl of lemons or a cushion) interrupts a consistent whitewashed aesthetic. 12 cubic suites may recall those peppering the sun-baked fringes of Greek islands, but these porous structures, with their colonnaded terraces peering out towards the Thyrannean, are built in traditional Aeolian style. Inside, yesteryear trinkets and local craft pieces warm the blinding white spaces – antique coat hooks, artisanal fruit bowls, handmade ceramics – and cloud-soft beds encourage a traditional Sicilian siesta (book Superior rooms for guaranteed sea-views). Sunsets here are otherworldly, (as is catching neighbouring Stromboli’s fiery belch from the mouth of its volcano at dusk), and best viewed from the bar with an apéritif.
Having explored Salina’s coves and craggy, layered edges by boat, sampled its Malvasian wine at vineyards surrounding Malfa, (like Capofar run by the infamous Tasca d’Almerita family), or simply lounged poolside to absorb the sea-meets-volcano views, guests can feast on island ingredients at Principe di Salina’s Ristorante della Casa. Silvana, who runs the hotel with her husband Francesco, and three children, has leveraged her master’s in nutrition to craft a menu that’s as nourishing as it is wildly delicious, towing the hyperlocal line with garden salads doused in capers, spanking fresh seafood pasta and couscous salads with Sicilians almonds and orange.
Hotel address: Principe di Salina, SP182, 3, 98050 Salina ME, Italy
Price: Doubles from £200 per night.
