Grand Hotel Villa Igiea

Overlooking the bay of Palermo and set in splendid terraced gardens redolent with jasmine, the Grand Hotel Villa Igiea is probably one of the best-known hotels in Sicily. Built at the end of the 19th century as a summer resort for the powerful Florio family, the hotel boasts stunning interiors by the master of Italian art nouveau, Ernesto Basile. Impressive stucco ceilings and fascinating artistic detail in every room transform a routine wander through the hotel into a veritable feast for the eyes. On entering the Sala Basile, for example, your every sense is aroused as you take in the stunning frescoes painted by Ettere de Maria Bergler and beautifully lit by the huge Murano glass chandelier. Moving slowly around the room you have the impression that the young girls depicted in the frescoes move with you, and you are enveloped by the scents and flavours of the flowers and oranges that they offer you. A feast of another kind can be enjoyed at the hotel's exceptional restaurant, Belle Epoque, which serves gourmet Mediterranean cuisine beneath glittering chandeliers and an ornate stuccoed ceiling or, in summer, dine al fresco on the hotel's flower-filled terrace with its wonderful views over the sea.