 The light is the first thing that strikes the visitor arriving in Sicily: strong and intense. And light is a key feature of the architecture in Sicily, too: in a vivacious play of chiaroscuro, it delineates the scrolls, grotesque faces, balconies and statues that adorn the marvellous churches and elegant piazzas and are characteristic features of Sicilian Baroque. And nowhere is this more true than in Val di Noto. This is also Commissario Montalbano country, as described in the novels of his creator, Andrea Camilleri. And this valley, in the heart of Sicilian Baroque, just outside Ragusa, is the location of the Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa, a five star luxury resort that opened in the summer of 2010.
The resort is a great starting point for a journey of discovery of the artistic style that came to dominate the area after 1693, the year in which an earthquake forced almost total reconstruction. That was how the imaginative creativity of Baroque emerged in all its magnificence, becoming the distinctive feature of this region. It is thanks to Baroque, too, that eight Sicilian cities, including Ragusa, Noto and Modica, have been included in the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites. SICILY YOURSELF PACKAGE (3 NIGHTS) OFFERED BY THE DONNAFUGATA GOLF RESORT &SPAThe package includes: 3 nights with breakfast; 1 dinner (3 courses, drinks excluded); 1 Spa massage (60 minutes); 1 Spa entry (1 hour’s relaxation course) per stay; 1 half-day excursion to Modica or Ragusa Ibla by car with guide.Rates per person in double room start from 450 euros. Ragusa Ibla, the ancient hub of the city of Ragusa, offers many artistic attractions, including one particularly outstanding masterpiece: the cathedral of San Giovanni, the city’s patron saint. Inside the church, which is in the form of a Latin cross divided into three naves, is an endless sequence of columns, vaults and arches, with numerous chapels housing works of art. The light filtering through the windows of the cupola creates an enchanting atmosphere. Noto is a little jewel perched high up on a plateau that dominates the valley full of citrus groves. It has such a harmonious beauty that it appears almost unreal, like a stage set. The majestic buildings are all built from the local limestone, soft, compact and bleached over time in such a way as to give them a wonderful golden-pink hue. It is a real step back into the past, all the more striking in the evenings, when the soft lighting creates an almost magical atmosphere. The Beneventano palazzo in Scicli is a masterpiece of human creative genius with its sumptuous facades dating back to the mid-eighteenth century. Modica is famous not only for its Baroque monuments but also for its chocolate, made with the ancient Inca recipe that is said to have arrived here with veterans from the Spanish expeditions of conquest to South America. The town is a real architectural jewel: San Giorgio and the Chiesa del Soccorso, with the adjoining Jesuit monastery are among the most important monuments, but the Chiesa del Carmine with its imposing stairway and the small church of San Pietro Inferiore, built into the rock, are equally striking. A visit to the nearby Castello di Donnafugata, which the resort is named after, is a must. The castle is actually a large aristocratic villa. The main facade has a beautiful loggia in Venetian-Gothic style and inside you pass through room after sumptuous room. The park is also worth a visit, with its "coffee house", small temple, labyrinth and even an artificial grotto, as well as numerous vases by Caltagirone, all for the enjoyment of the baron and his guests. So Sicily is like a treasure chest full of amazing jewels, open for guests of the Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa to explore as honoured guests. The Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa is situated one hour from Catania airport on an old aristocratic estate, which has succeeded in preserving the original charm and beauty intact with an expert work of renovation and architectural restoration. Although the resort is of recent construction, its details, influences and views draw on a fascination with the past: echoes of the stories that haunt the nearby Castle of Donnafugata, or the charms of Il Gattopardo by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, come to life again in the environs of this magical place. The resort is laid out in villas that stand out against the landscape, like a single brush stoke shading into gradations of earth, ochre and yellow. The rooms are notable for their generous size (the smallest are 38 square metres), care for detail and sophisticated elegance. There are ten suites, all unforgettably and uniquely exclusive. Bright, with pastel furnishings, they cover 77 square metres with a large private terrace of 54 square metres. Equipped with all comforts, all the rooms offer a splendid view over the remarkable panorama surrounding the resort. The jewels in the crown are the two exclusive 18-hole championship golf courses designed by two experts of international fame. Nature and culture are not the only star features of this resort; wellness is also key, with the Donnafugata Spa which covers an area of 900 square metres with six rooms for beauty treatments and body care under the “Culti” brand concept and won the Condé Nast Traveller Favourite Overseas Day Spa award for 2010. Amid all this splendour, food and wine should not be overlooked: the resort has three restaurants where food lovers can taste dishes from the best, creative cuisine, prepared with top quality local produce.Not far away are the marvellous beaches of Camarina, Punta Secca and Marina di Ragusa. Donnafugata Golf Resort & SpaContrada Piombo – 97100 RagusaTel. +39.0932.914200 – Fax +39.0932.914222E-mail
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
- www.donnafugatagolfresort.com
|