For better or worse, tourist trails through Sicily often overlook Noto, a bijou town in the island’s east. Which means that, unlike the rest of Siracuse, there is a charming atmosphere of captured time, especially in the superb collection of Baroque architecture.
Completely in step with the setting, the newly minted three-bedroom Casa Scianna mines a faded vintage aesthetic courtesy of its co-owner Edoardo Marchiori who has channeled a long stint as senior fashion editor at Italian Glamour into a second career as an interior designer. Interestingly, the B&B’s creative DNA is subliminally amplified by its moniker, a tribute to the Sicilian born photographer, Ferdinando Scianna.
Which explains the 1950s cinematic quality of the interior décor – the cool stone floors underfoot dressed with four poster wrought iron beds, Empire chairs, the obligatory prints of Roman emperors, and exuberantly colourful ceramics, drop crystal wall chandeliers, and antiques crafted by local artisans.
Each room features a different configuration, but the first floor suite has the advantage of a capacious day-bed set in a private al-fresco terrace that opens to that blue-on-blue sky.
Meanwhile, the in-house kitchen serves only breakfast, but in Noto, this is no hardship as the casa leads directly into a neighbourhood of small grocery stores, restaurants and bars, the latter quietly humming with the flick of card games.
ADDRESS
Via Ascenzo Mauceri 50 96017 Noto Siracuse Sicily
-
Each mundane object tells a story at Pace’s tribute to the everydayIn a group exhibition, ‘Monument to the Unimportant’, artists give the seemingly insignificant – from discarded clothes to weeds in cracks – a longer look
-
Discover The Legacy, Hong Kong’s eye-catching new condoThe Legacy, by ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, is a striking new condo tower that aims to ‘create a sense of community and solidarity among people’
-
In BDSM biker romance ‘Pillion’, clothes become a medium for ‘fantasy and fetishism’Costume designer Grace Snell breaks down the leather-heavy wardrobe for the Alexander Skarsgård-starring Pillion, which traces a dom/sub relationship between a shy parking attendant and a biker
-
Experience the cradle of the Renaissance in a new light at Florence’s W hotelFlorence’s palazzi, basilicas and baptistries groan with history. But the city’s new W hotel poses an alternative perspective – one that is distinctly modern
-
Fall in love with the Dolomites at this serene retreatIn South Tyrol, the refreshed Forestis hotel raises the bar for high-altitude calm
-
Langosteria Montenapoleone is the new multi-level dining destination to know in MilanCrowning the top three floors of the recently opened Palazzo Fendi, the Langosteria group unveils its most ambitious venture yet
-
Check in at Aman Rosa Alpina, a modern Alpine cocoonSan Cassiano’s historic hotel has been reborn as a pared-back Aman refuge in the heart of the Dolomites
-
Mediterranean dreams come true at this radiant Puglian hotelA former convent has been converted into Vista Ostuni, a plush bolthole inspired by the landscape and heritage of the Puglia region
-
Stay in a pastel-hued Puglian palazzo as it starts a new chapterA haven for the design-minded, Palazzo Daniele reopens following a thoughtful restoration by Milan-based Studio Palomba Serafini and GS Collection
-
This Italian palazzo-turned-café adds a dash of drama to your morning espressoDesigned by studio AMAA, Caffè Nazionale brings new energy to a 19th-century former town hall in the northern Italian town of Arzignano
-
Pierre-Yves Rochon celebrates ‘the great tradition of Italian design’ in Four Seasons Hotel Milano refreshThe sophisticated hotel’s 118 rooms and suites have been redesigned by the acclaimed designer and long-time collaborator of the brand
