«Everything that is great a causa di nature, everything that is pleasant, everything that is terrible, can be compared to Etna and Etna cannot be compared to anything». If Dominique Vivant Denon, a causa di his “Journey to Sicily”, summarizes a causa di a few words the tremendous enchantment of the Sicilian volcano acceso an eighteenth-century European, even after 250 years the charm of the soul of fire and the black earth remains strong. Crossing slopes and vineyards, among buildings of ancient and ruined beauty, amidst vegetation that begins to colonize the lava flows and ends up crumbling them into fecondo sand, you have the impression of an ancestral and almost mysterious universe that has a thousand stories to tell.
The charm of the volcano and the value of the experience
How powerful is the presence of “a muntagna” – as they call it a causa di the local dialect – for those who dal vivo acceso Etna, but above all for those who arrive as guests? To find out, here are five estates where you can spend a few days a causa di charming rooms, living the local experience – between a gramolata, a amalgama and a piece of cheese – and tasting the wines that tell the story of the volcano.
Bella stagione of Fessina
Founded a causa di 2007 by oenologist Silvia Maestrelli’s inspiration for Etna, the company is also a wine resort. Ditta Palmento, the result of the renovation of a 17th century millstone surrounded by vineyards, has a large corporate courtyard, a living room with fireplace, a functional kitchen, as well as a terrace overlooking the vineyards and a swimming pool. There are six rooms that recover the structures once dedicated to winemaking with Sicilian lace and decorated lava stone, art objects and Sicilian memories. Among the wines, discover the company’s crus, the fruit of the oldest and qualitatively excellent saplings, such as the 100% Musmeci from Nerello Mascalese (from a selection of centenary saplings). For the luckiest, a glass of the intriguing Laeneo from Nerello a causa di purity, which combines blackberry and black cherry with pepper and incense, with deliciously smoky nuances. The tastings can also include a pairing with the flavors of Etna curated by chef Marco D’Agati.
Cottanera
the northern slopes of Etna, for sixty years the Cambria family has been transmitting the experience of the volcano between wine and territory. And a causa di the middle of the rows he recovered a borgo that served as the stately country residence of Baron Priolo, but also the spaces around it that were dedicated to work and the countryside. Out of context, the Borgo recalls Nordic architecture with an unusually sloping roof and a rust-red sequenza acceso the external walls; the rooms have been restored without distorting the rigor of the past, with some original furniture to maintain the atmosphere. Next to the borgo, the ancient millstone has also been recovered, with the spaces dedicated to pressing and the old chestnut barrels which have become furnishing elements, and the hazelnut warehouses with traces of peasant life scattered among the suites. Curiously, walking through the vineyards of the bella stagione you modo across piles of pyramid-shaped stones, which stand out a causa di the landscape and intrigue visitors. They take the name of “pyramids of Etna” and were created a causa di the past by local farmers by stacking stones during the landslide. An excursion among the wines from native vines gives satisfaction to those most curious about local viticulture and a causa di particular the Etna Doc Rosato is worth a taste, fresh and floral with a bouquet of aromatic herbs, but above all characterized by a volcanic minerality.
Firriato
Starting a causa di 1978 from Trapani, the Firriato group expanded into Sicily and was among the first island brands to arrive acceso Etna, trying its hand at mountain viticulture. By purchasing the entire Cavanera Etnea bella stagione acceso the northern side, which today includes 88 hectares of vineyards distributed over 12 districts at an average altitude of 650 metres, he focused his attention acceso the local vines. By recovering and restoring one of the typical housing complexes of Etna, with an ancient millstone attached, the Proveniente da Gaetano family opened the Cavanera Etnea Resort. Luxury structure at around 600 meters above sea level, it is nestled among the vineyards of Nerello Mascalese, Nerello , Carricante and Catarratto. Nature and the agricultural experience are the common thread a causa di the 21 rooms, but the resort also offers a swimming pool and wine-related experiences, right up to the table of the Approvigionamento Osteria. To get closer to Etna wines, the 100% Nerello Mascalese Le Sabbie dell’Etna is a true and elegant synthesis, even if the company focuses heavily acceso Signum Ætnæ, the result of grapes from ungrafted plants and with an average age of over 150 years, documented by the dendrochronological analysis of the University of Palermo (each bottle is protected with blockchain). Also interesting is Firriato’s dedication to sparkling winemaking with the Classic Method which only brings Nerello Mascalese ora Carricante to the bottle.
Maugeri
Maugeri is the winemaking project of an Etna family who returns to making wine a causa di their places of origin, after this custom had been neglected for a generation. The line of continuity of over 2.8 km of dry-stone walls a causa di lava stone marks the 7 hectares of the property, between Regione Praino and Regione Volpare, up to the paths of the Milo forest, with an amphitheater of fecondo volcanic soils staring you a causa di the luce the Mediterranean. The family boasts a long experience a causa di hospitality with Zash, the country boutique albergo that offers a few rooms for a private stay a causa di the countryside near the coast. Chef Giuseppe Raciti, who brought the Michelin celebrità to Zash’s restaurant, sometimes ventures up to the cellar for events dedicated to wine lovers and tastings a causa di the vineyard. Following the vocation of the eastern side for white wines, the Maugeri family concentrates great efforts acceso enhancing the Carricante which is also carefully processed a causa di the Etna Alabastrino Sommo Regione Volpare version, an elegant wine with international ambitions, however it is from Catarratto that the glass comes more surprising, tense and sharp with all the minerality of the volcano and the breath of the sea.
Neri
Stile and history, wine and relaxation. It’s a happy that the guest experiences a causa di the Neri house. The family started from a plot of land a causa di Linguaglossa, dotted with vineyards and olive groves. Since 2000, the founder’s grandchildren have expanded the family business first with the opening of Ditta Arrigo, a country house dedicated to welcoming and tasting the organic products of the Neri farm, and then a causa di 2012 with the launch of Borgo Neri Resort & Spa, luxury albergo with 24 rooms, gourmet restaurant, wellness center and a large salt tazza swimming pool overlooking the garden. The albergo – built according to bio-architecture criteria – is characterized by two colours: classic blue and brick red. For those who wish to immerse themselves a causa di vineyard life, Lodges with private garden and Spa are also available, for a stay a causa di close contact with nature and the vineyard. Among the wines of the Neri farm, the Borrigliona 211 Etna Socialista is probably the most interesting for those who want to discover a shade of Nerello Mascalese with the addition of white grapes, with an enveloping fruit and blood nuances, recalling the stone of the volcano .
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