In the center of Catania, a 5-star hotel located in a splendid baroque palace with a Mediterranean-style garden, that houses the Basalto restaurant, framed by the Scalone of Vaccarini, the famous architect who designed the Cathedral of Sant’Agata, and a panoramic terrace overlooking the city.

Palazzo Sangiorgio was born from a great dream: that of Nino Sangiorgio, an entrepreneur from Adrano in the province of Catania, now active in various sectors, to create beauty in his homeland, where he returned in the 1980s after going with his family to seek fortune in Belgium.

The opportunity arose in 2020 when he was offered to purchase Palazzo Hernandez, at the time in ruins, a majestic 18th-century baroque building located in the central Piazza Cardinale Pappalardo, just in front to Palazzo Biscari, a pearl of Sicilian Baroque.

For us Palazzo Sangiorgio is “home”, a set of values, a sense of protection and comfort that we also want to convey to our guests.

Sangiorgio family)

Where people glimpsed rubble, Nino sees a promise of wonder. The heart of the Palace, built by the Hernandez family, a noble dynasty of Spanish origin, is, in fact, an internal courtyard that houses a real jewel that was just waiting to be rediscovered: a double staircase with a rampant portico commissioned to the architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini after the earthquake of 1693.

Having fallen in love with the project and starting from that symbol of “rebirth”, the Sangiorgio family thus began a long and careful restoration, completely Made in Sicily. Palazzo Sangiorgio reopens in 2023 with 25 rooms including Superior, Deluxe, Junior Suites and 5 types of Suites, a restaurant, a panoramic terrace with Rooftop Bar and heated outdoor jacuzzi, the Magma Harmony SPA, and a meeting room.

The rooms are a true masterpiece of comfort and fine materials, with marble bathrooms and Flos lighting, among which the Gran Suite Vaccarini stands out with a whirlpool tub and a large lounge area. All the spaces show extreme attention to detail, from the light points to the technologies used that betray the long experience acquired over the years by the Sangiorgio family in the construction business.

The Vaccarini staircase is the backdrop that today embraces the summer garden of Basalto, the hotel’s gourmet restaurant open, like the rooftop bar, also to non-guests of the structure. A refined setting that offers Mediterranean cuisine, based on excellent local raw materials, led by the young and innovative chef Jonathan Mirabella.

The beautiful Magma Harmony SPA – with a mini pool with hydromassage, Finnish sauna, hammam with emotional shower and massage cabins – is reminiscent of Ottoman hammams in its colours. Here the principles of Ayurveda blend with the natural elements of the island of Sicily, such as the volcanic energy of the lava that shaped the territory of Etna where Palazzo Sangiorgio stands and which inspired its name.

The perfect experience? Enjoying an aperitif on the terrace of Palazzo Sangiorgio at sunset, the most magical moment to let yourself be enveloped by the warm colours of the Sicilian sun, and then moving to dinner in the internal courtyard of Basalto and letting yourself be pampered in the shade of tropical plants and white curtains.

Palazzo Sangiorgio is an Eden of Sicilianness that is always evolving. An example of this are the various collaborations with local companies and artists who exhibit their works in the hotel and the many events that are organized (just follow the structure’s social networks to stay updated on upcoming events).

Ambassador of all that is Beautiful and Good in Sicily, Palazzo Sangiorgio offers a passionate concierge service to organize any kind of experience, even the most exclusive.

The Secret

The staircase is the last work of architect Vaccarini, famous for having restored the Cathedral of Catania after the earthquake. Unfortunately, he died without being able to see the fruits of his work. In the nineteenth century, decayed like the families who had lived there, the building was first dismembered and then bombed during the Second World War, until it became a destination for illegal uses and partly used as offices for the University of Catania, until its “rediscovery” by the Sangiorgio family.

Useful Info

Palazzo Sangiorgio
Piazza Cardinale Pappalardo 1
95121 Catania
info@sangiorgiocatania.it
Tel. +39 095 16952100

Rooms: from 250 euro with breakfast included