Shalai

Mount Etna


After a day tackling Etna, retreat to this luxe spa hotel. Softly lit and in muted shades, the hotel's 13 rooms are minimalist and contemporary, with crisp white linen, flowing drapes, designer lighting and (in rooms 101 and 102) original frescoed ceilings. Then there's the stucco-adorned 19th-century lounge, the candlelit spa (for that post-trek massage), bar and fine-dining, Michelin-starred restaurant. Bliss.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Mount Etna attractions

1. Beach

7.15 MILES

Giardini's long beach (mainly sand and coarse grey pebbles) curves around the crescent-shaped bay between Capo Taormina and Capo Schisò, a lick of…

2. Castelmola

7.46 MILES

For eye-popping views of the coastline and Mt Etna, head for this cute hilltop village above Taormina, crowned by a ruined castle. If you're reasonably…

3. Palazzo Duca di Santo Stefano

7.66 MILES

Just behind Corso Umberto and near Porta Catania, this 13th-century palace was once home to the De Spuches, a noble family of Spanish origin. Now used as…

4. Palazzo Ciampoli

7.75 MILES

The 14th-century Palazzo Ciampoli stands adjacent to the Hotel El Jebel.

5. Santuario Madonna della Rocca

7.79 MILES

Built inside a grotto on Monte Tauro, this small church was founded by the abbot Francesco Raineri in around 1640. According to legend, the Virgin Mary…

6. Saracen Castle

7.83 MILES

Perched atop Monte Tauro are the (inaccessible) ruins of this castle, built between the 11th and 12th centuries. The castle sits on the former site of…

7. Monte Tauro

7.84 MILES

The short climb to the top of Monte Tauro (378m) is not exactly Himalayan, but it is steep and the final steps are quite hard work. Your reward is a…

8. Torre dell’Orologio

7.86 MILES

Located just west of the main square, Piazza IX Aprile, this 12th-century clock tower marks the entrance to Borgo Medievale, Taormina's oldest quarter.