Taormina, Italy
Taormina Hotel Villa Ducale
Terraced Sicilian villa
Terraced Sicilian villa
The property operates with the unhurried rhythm of a family home, centered around open terraces facing Mount Etna.
What it’s good at
Notable
Interiors balance terracotta floor tiles and wooden ceiling beams with saturated Mediterranean colors.
Notable
A converted Sicilian hillside villa serving morning granita and pastries facing Mount Etna.
Listed
Complimentary sunset cocktails and regional appetizers are served daily across panoramic garden terraces.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
Set high in the hills above Taormina, Hotel Villa Ducale might be best known for the views from its terrace, which encompass the whole of Mount Etna and the expanse of the Ionian Sea.
Somewhere quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
A stepped hillside path leads down to Corso Umberto, keeping the hotel quietly removed from central Taormina.
The rooms
Terracotta floor tiles and timber ceiling beams ground the bedrooms. Select suites open onto terraces with private plunge pools.
The pool
Bring a swimsuit.
A 15-meter infinity pool stretches across the terrace, lined with red loungers facing the Bay of Giardini Naxos.
The plunge pool
An outdoor plunge pool sits on a secluded wooden deck, flanked by loungers facing the Strait of Messina.
At the table
Incanto serves contemporary Sicilian cooking along an open veranda draped in greenery, looking straight out over the bay.
How it began
Andrea and Rosaria Quartucci opened the hotel in 1993, converting Rosaria's family summer home into nine guest rooms.
Taormina
More like this
Grand Hotel San Pietro
“Cliffside garden villa”
The app
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.