On the southern end of Sicily, the furthest point of all Italy, is a flat-planed paradise, that welcomes the sunrise and sunset of the Mediterranean across its wide, white expanses and vast blue, gem-like pools. Il San Corrado di Noto is a haven for those seeking luxury, privacy, serenity and peace.
As you travel down from Catania–Fontanarossa airport, through the Val di Noto and past the centre of Noto’s hilltop town, the countryside of Sicily reveals itself, and after countless vineyards and orchards flit by, you start to sense the world disappear as you enter a new and secluded paradise. The feeling crescendos once you pass through the green gates of Il San Corrado di Noto, into a sun-bleached stone courtyard, surrounded by tall, whitewashed walls, ordered palm trees and well-placed fountains of deep-blue water.
Tranquillity is the overriding feeling of the ancient masseria, which was once a fortified farmhouse that belonged to Prince Nicolaci. It’s easy to imagine the same ambition to preserve the treasure within its walls still exists, as the resort and its warm and charming staff aims to provide a serene and idyllic environment for it’s guests – one that harmonises with nature by being a vessel for sanctuary.
Shooting off from the serene courtyard is a cool reception, fronted by large glass panes. Next door is a set of rooms that include a lounge, bar, library and billiard room, all decorated with contemporary art and vintage Gucci scarves that have been lovingly reimagined as cushions.
Just beyond the bar is Il San Corrado di Noto’s gourmet restaurant, Principie De Belludia, which offers fine dining in the evenings and in the mornings is also the setting for breakfast, which has a continental setup as well as a menu to order from. The Sicilian Cantina, a prestigious wine cellar, is attached to the restaurant and more glass walls are in place to perfectly accentuate the hotel’s collection.
A second bar is situated perfectly by one of the pools, alongside the hotel’s more casual restaurant, Osteria Casa Pasta, which is a Sicilian fanfare of fresh seafood and classic Italian delights. At any time of day, food and drink are nearby, and the abundance of fresh cuisine and fun cocktails adds to the intention of restoration the hotel champions – Il San Corrado di Noto is a place for the soul, and this sense of healing is in every nourishing detail.
The spirit of renewal goes beyond the environments created, and can also be found in the on-site facilities. The most eye-catching of these are the hotel’s two pools: the Green Pool, a large, perfect square, which is surrounded by the bar and poolside restaurant; and the One Hundred Blue Pool, whichextends for one hundred metres, and was a reimagining of the pools of the Classical Age that were used to train athletes. Other amenities include a fully specified luxury spa, a fully equipped gym, as well as a yoga pavilion, which occasionally screens movies.
The suites emulate the same clean, streamline luxury as the surrounding environment. They provide every amenity you’d need, as well as the same adornments that grace the rest of the hotel, with contemporary art and vintage designer cushions to decorate. The rooms are spacious and pristine, with deep baths, indulgent toiletries and most including a private porch that faces a stretch of the iconic pools. Il San Corrado di Noto lives by an ethos of cultivating restoration; where the guest is able to realign their inner balance. And the rooms, like the rest of the hotel, are designed to do just that.
Another aid in the pursuit of peace comes in the free shuttle provided by the hotel that takes guests to the adjoining Il San Corrado di Noto private beach club. You can be taken to the sea whenever it calls, and in a short drive, end up facing an endless blue ocean that bleeds into an endless blue sky. Akin to hotel’s poolside, the beach club provides elegant sun loungers designed to emulate Roman lectus recliners, with wide, canvas umbrellas and complementary towels. An onsite restaurant completes the beach club experience, with similar fresh, fun offerings as the main hotel’s menus.
Further beyond the resort walls, you can explore the town of Noto – which fans of The White Lotus would recognise. Its Baroque architecture, ample markets and authentic eateries would more than keep you busy, especially if you wanted to shop for a perfect pair of legendary Sicilian Moor’s Heads to take home. Also nearby are the additional towns of the Val di Noto, which include Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and Scicli – all of which are full of the same Late Baroque mystery and charm.
Il San Corrado di Noto is everything you’d expect a five star hotel to be: immaculate, efficient and luxurious. But there is also a magic to the resort; a magic that is imbued within the large white stones that uphold it; woven in the grassy planes that surround it; shining down on it from dawn till dusk. It is a magic that is engrained in the fibres of its identity. Il San Corrado di Noto is an idyllic and unique platform that promotes the regeneration, wellbeing and peace not just of the body, but also of the spirit and the soul. And that is what makes it paradise.
Contrada Belludia SP51,Noto (SR) – 96017
