Catania, Italy

Elle Dimora di Sicilia

Price per night from$243.98

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR220.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Elle Dimora di Sicilia Photos

Style

History-steeped romantic

Setting

Edged by Etna

Explore

More hotels in Catania More hotels in Italy

Polished proof that small can be mighty, Elle Dimora di Sicilia brings a potent dose of storied romance to the historic heart of Catania. Its two meticulously designed bedrooms keep guest numbers to a minimum, allowing staff to pull out all the stops. The only thing you might find rivalling their attention to detail is the interiors, which are rooted in Sicilian history and subtly blend artisan-made furnishings with contemporary accents and colourful odes to the island’s landscapes.

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A bottle of prosecco and some Sicilian treats

Facilities

Photos Elle Dimora di Sicilia facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Two suites.

Check–Out

11am, and check-in is at 3pm. Both are flexible, on request and subject to availability.

More details

Rates include an à la carte breakfast.

Also

Unfortunately, Elle Dimora di Sicilia isn’t suitable for guests with limited mobility since the space has been renovated from a converted apartment block, meaning stairs are steep and hallways are narrow.

At the hotel

Rooftop terrace, charged laundry service (on request) and free WiFi throughout. In suites: TV, air-conditioning, minibar, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making kit, free bottled water and Ferragamo bath products.

Our favourite rooms

There’s only two to pick from: both are awash with historic charm and have their own amphitheatre-admiring balconies, so you’ll be spoiled with views wherever you decide to rest. If you’re in search of some Sicilian romance, check-in to Incanto, where a deep-soaking, in-room tub sits at the heart of the suite and welcomes seductive soaks.

Packing tips

It’ll depend what you’re planning on doing: flowy linens are best for flâneurs, but Etna-enthusiasts may want to bring their walking poles and hiking boots.

Also

The hotel partners with a local gym, and staff will be happy to book you in if you’re craving a rush of endorphins.

Children

This rarefied retreat is for over-18s only.

Food and Drink

Photos Elle Dimora di Sicilia food and drink

Top Table

Breakfasts are best sampled on the rooftop terrace, where tables per due gaze over the amphitheatre and San Biagio church.

Dress Code

Your softest blues to compliment the cool tones of Sergio Fiorentino’s statement piece.

Hotel restaurant

There’s no formal restaurant here; but head down to the blue-toned breakfast room come morning and you’ll be warmly welcomed with a Sicilian spread that boasts the best of this Italian island. Menus change often, but Catanese classics are the focus so expect plenty of brioche col tuppo, ricotta cannoli, traditional pastries, home-baked cakes and superbly syrupy coffee.

Last orders

Breakfast is served from 8am to 10am.

Room service

Dishes can be delivered to your door between 7.30am and 1pm.

Location

Photos Elle Dimora di Sicilia location
Address
Elle Dimora di Sicilia
Piazza Stesicoro 15
Catania
95124
Italy

Elle Dimora di Sicilia sits on the island’s east coast, in the centre of its ancient city, Catania.

Planes

Most European hubs fly direct to Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, around 20 minutes from the hotel by car. Private transfers can be arranged on request for €50 each way.

Trains

Catania Centrale is a five-minute drive from the hotel, and is served by Trenitalia, which has direct routes around Sicily and with Italy’s main cities, including Rome, Florence and Milan. Private transfers can be arranged to and from the station, for €30 each way.

Automobiles

Catania’s transport is well connected, so a car won’t be essential. If you decide to pick up a set of wheels, there are rental booths at the airport and the hotel has valet parking (available from 8am to 8pm) for €40 a day.

Worth getting out of bed for

Elle Dimora di Sicilia puts you less than a 10-minute walk from Catania’s beating heart: Piazza del Duomo, famed for its Baroque buildings, grand Cattedrale di Sant'Agata and an 18th-century black-lava elephant who is said to help calm the rumblings of looming Mount Etna. 

Food is where this Sicilian city thrives, and if you head to the Piazza’s northwest corner, you’ll emerge into its long-loved fish market, filled with the hectic hum of bartering locals. Taste your way through more of Catania’s cuisine (deep-fried arancini and polpette di cavallo will be frequent finds) with a street food tour that whisks you round its finest vendors. For self-guided, culinary forays head to Via Plebiscito in the historic centre, where stalls fill the street. Adventurers can take to the trails that surround Etna, and if you’d rather your walks be a little less heart-racing, visit the manicured gardens of Villa Bellini, just off Via Etna.

Local restaurants

Seafood-focused Osteria Antica Marina treats its diners to the freshest of fish, plucked straight from the Piazza’s market. Traditional Catanese fare impresses at Giardino di Bacco – a 20th-century villa where tables sit pretty under fairylit pergolas and camellia trees. If you’re after something a little more upmarket, Michelin-starred Sapio champions terra-inspired fine dining through a sustainable lens.

Local bars

For sweet treats and freshly baked Catanese cakes, head to Dolci della Nonna Vincenza – a quaint, Sicilian pastry shop that’s been run by the same family for decades.

Reviews

Photos Elle Dimora di Sicilia reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this Sicilian stay and unpacked their capuliatu and cannoli, a full account of their port city break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Elle Dimora di Sicilia in Catania…

Sicily is so rich in heritage, locals revere the passato remoto tense, reserved for ramblings about its history. And if you’re questioning whether it can really be that captivating, then allow us to introduce you to Elle Dimora di Sicilia – a two-suite stay set against the honey-hued glow of Catania’s San Biagio church. Spaces here have been intricately designed to incorporate the building’s residential past – repurposed wooden doors, a skillfully preserved central stone staircase, restored tiling – and showcase the finest of Sicilian craftsmanship (right down to the gold-plated handles that have been handmade on the island). Odes to heritage prevail in suites, as well, where silhouetted soldiers pay homage to the city’s amphitheatre that rests below and hand-painted ceilings reference the Palazzo Biscari’s ‘Gallery of the Birds’. In the breakfast room, even Sergio Fiorentino’s striking cobalt tones make an appearance. There may be touches of modernity sprinkled throughout, but this raffish retreat has earned its place in Sicilian history.

You’ll also find Elle Dimora di Sicilia in:

Book now

Price per night from $239.55

Hotels nearby

Villas nearby