By Emma Krasov. Press images courtesy ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA
For American vacationers of any age, marital status, and psychological type, Italy presents an enormously appealing destination with any amount of unbeatable attractions from climate and natural beauty to historical significance, and from high art and sophisticated fashion to rustic cuisine.
Unlike our European counterparts, we in the U.S. rarely indulge in lengthy time off, and don’t even mind it that much… in other words, we still have plenty to learn about that work/life balance!
No month-long lounging on a beach for us, or two-week exploration tours. Mostly, we divide our vacation time between high and low seasons—a couple nights at a ski resort, a few days in a culture capital of Europe, a week on an ocean cruise or in a seaside resort. While summertime is bearable thanks to our long holiday weekends with camping opportunities, picnics and barbecues, the discontent and coldness of winter gets the best of us… So how should we fight it, or rather, how can we use a mere week of winter break with maximum efficiency?
How else, if not with the sunny hospitality of Sicily, widely associated with azure sky, turquoise sea, silvery olive groves, and golden fruit of various citrus trees, which embodies the best of the Mediterranean—while carefully preserving its unique culture, ancient history, and overwhelmingly gorgeous nature?
Last November, traveling to the southwest coast of Sicily, I kind of expected to be moderately charmed, given the season, but the dazzling reality exceeded my expectations.
ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA, the newest venue of the ADLER Spa Resorts and Lodges owned and operated by the Sanoner family of hoteliers, is located in Siculiana in the province of Agrigento, by an extensive nature reserve, Riserva Naturale Orientata di Torre Salsa.
Opened in 2022 in a hilly wooded terrain teaming with wildlife, and overlooking a private sandy beach, this is one of the most secluded and unspoiled retreats, sustainably built and carefully maintained with an idea of harmoniously blending with the environment.
Conceived by the Sanoner family in collaboration with architect Hugo Demetz, the resort has put an emphasis on understated countryside aesthetic, harmony with nature, and sustainability from the get-go. The proprietor family issued a clear statement on the matter, “Everything we do is informed by a non-negotiable principle: our resort has to blend in with the landscape without altering its natural balance and beauty. Bio architecture was the only way forward. We opted for a dispersive layout of single-story buildings alternating with botanical oases.”
With the use of natural local materials—reclaimed wood, Sicilian clay, and lava rocks sourced from Etna volcano hillsides, the spacious architectural ensemble is complemented with terraced green lawns, blossoming native plants, and multiple water features, making ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA a dreamy picture of a vacation paradise.
A complex of low-rise hotel buildings in earthy colors, connected by garden paths and wide hallways, contains 90 well-equipped rooms with all the modern amenities, Wi-Fi, digital TV, a minibar, coffee machine and tea making set, and air conditioning. A private open air terrace for each room offers a view of the sea, wild heather patches, and flower beds. Heat pumps recover and redistribute energy within the resort, and recycled gray water is used to irrigate the gardens. To minimize the impact of transportation, electric cars and bikes are provided to the guests who want to explore the area.
As Resort Manager Sami Aglietti says, “At ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA, you don’t have to compromise on comfort to achieve sustainability. You can enjoy Sicily’s natural paradise safe in the knowledge that it will still be here, unchanged, the next time you return.”
Among the major attractions of the resort are its three fantastic swimming pools—a main heated indoor-outdoor saltwater pool with multiple hydro massage devices and an infinity edge; a cool freshwater plunge pool, and a semi-Olympic 25-meter sports pool for serious swimmers who’d rather do energetic laps than leisurely splash in body-temperature water among the beach umbrellas and gently swaying palms.
Adding to the overall culture of wellness at the resort, there are daily walks and hikes, nature trails and cycling tours, aqua exercises and meditation classes, multiple treatments and therapies with the use of Sicilian aromatic oils, wildflower extracts, seawater, algae, and locally grown healing plants, available to the guests at the beautifully appointed Spa, Finnish sauna, Swedish sauna, panoramic bio sauna, steam bath, inside and outside fitness zones, and multiple relaxation rooms.
Many of the athletic activities are included in the accommodation price, like fitness and yoga lessons with qualified personal trainers at the garden yoga platform and gym with the latest fitness equipment, plus guests can order specialized adventures according to their interests, like horseback riding, golf, and water sports available nearby.
The welcoming serene gardens on the premises serve not only to please the eye and emit fragrance in the air, but also to supplement the restaurant kitchens with freshly-picked salads, herbs, and seasonal vegetables.
The hotel Restaurant, where breakfast and dinner are included in a half-board package, offers a mind-boggling amount of masterfully prepared dishes by the kitchen team lead by the Executive Chef Giuseppe Schimmenti,.
A breakfast buffet overflows with fantastical salads, seafood and charcuterie appetizers, made to order omelets and crepes, all kinds of hot dishes, pastries, whole fruit, fresh-squeezed juices, specialty coffee and tea.
For dinner, besides the enormously varied enticing buffet assortment, there’s a daily changing menu of prix fixe and à la carte selections, always delectable and astoundingly creative, made with freshly caught fish and organic meats from local producers, and supplemented with Sicilian wines, craft cocktails, house-made cakes and ice cream with daily changing flavors. The restaurants’ extensive wine list also includes some special biodynamic wines from the Sanoner family’s own vineyard estate Tenuta Sanoner in rural Tuscany.
An open terrace at the Osteria at the top of a hill overlooking the shiny Mediterranean, is a favorite lunch place for many guests who enjoy healthy salads, hot-from-the-oven pizza, and other Sicilian specialties in the shade of a large pergola. There’s also a rooftop bar with panoramic terrace, open all day.
Designed for wellbeing and relaxation as well as for adventure and cultural exploration, according to “intrinsically holistic philosophy, where the mind, body and soul are treated as one,” as stated on their website, ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA has an extensive program of immersive experiences provided with the help of highly skilled professional local guides, and suitable for all ages.
Among the guided experiences, activities, and excursions there’s Experience Sicily Gently—a trip to Racalmuto, a historical “town of salt,” that thrived in the 18th and 19th centuries due to salt mining, and is known as a birthplace of Leonardo Sciascia (1921-1989) an Italian novelist, playwright, and politician who dedicated many of his literary works to the history of Maria and governmental corruption. A local cooperative organization, Cento Sicilie, established in 2023 with the purpose “to develop and reread Sicily through the optimism and the will,” conducts immersive walks through Racalmuto, dedicated to Sciascia’s life as well as visits to a typical Sicilian country house on a hill, surrounded by almond and pomegranate trees, dwarf palms, and cacti.
This 19th century house is a site of a future home-kitchen restaurant of Sicilian specialties, owned and operated by Franca and Calogero (Lillo) Sardo, who create an extensive menu of simple and impressively delicious dishes by the recipes of their grandparents, made with garden-fresh eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes, olives and peppers, home-made cheeses and sausages, baked breads, and house wines.
A tour to Valle dei Templi—a spacious archeological park with multiple well-preserved sites of ancient Greek temples—led by a private English-speaking guide (like a knowledgeable and enthusiastic Dr. Salvatore Varisano)can also be scheduled with the resort, and is a not-to-be-missed adventure!
Valley of the Temples, a monumental ensemble of Hellenic architecture in the town of Agrigento, is one of the main attractions of Sicily and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with such prominent structures as the oldest onsite Temple of Heracles who was particularly venerated by the local population, the Temple of Zeus, erected in honor of the Greek warriors’ victory over the Carthaginians in 5th century BCE, and equally old and best preserved, but with unknown dedication, Temple of Concordia, thusly named after a Latin inscription discovered inside.
The Temple of the Dioscuri, dedicated to the mythical twins Castor and Pollux, has a prominent columned silhouette, especially vivid against a sunset sky, and serves as a symbol of Agrigento. The park also features a contemporary statue of a legendary Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and burnt his wax wings, donated by the Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj.
The location of this exciting educational tour is also home to Diodoros Farms and Casa Barbadoro, a renovated farmhouse, where visitors can engage in cooking lessons, and learn how to prepare some of the tastiest Sicilian dishes, like risotto with local red shrimp and eggplant Parmesan. An old stone building on a hilltop surrounded with olive trees, contains a study kitchen, where guests engage in food preparation accompanied by local wines, and then consume the fruit of their labor in a cozy courtyard where a whole family of well-fed kittens and a couple of friendly dogs play in the sun.
In winter, at ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA you’ll be enjoying mild temperatures, clear skies, and indelible inner peace. If you intend to slow down, relax, and rejuvenate, this magical place will surely restore your moral and physical wellbeing even in one week, or just a few precious days.
The resort management comes up withnew ideas for vacation packages all the time, and for the February 22 reopening of the 2024 season, try to book one of the reopening specials, like a three-day offer valid from Feb. 22 to March 3, which includes 3-night stay in a Junior Suite with half board (rich breakfast buffet and à la carte gourmet dinner); a salt massage 50 minutes per person; a program of sports activities to discover the area; tastings and guided tours; free access to the daily yoga and fitness program; access to the AQUAE world: heated indoor and outdoor saline pool, 25-metre semi-Olympic sports pool, heated panoramic Thalassa pool, Finnish sauna and bio sauna, steam bath, and more.
ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA is located at Contrada Salsa 92010 Siculiana (Agrigento). Phone: +39 0471 1551607, email: info@adler-sicilia.com. Websites: www.adler-resorts.com, https://www.adler-resorts.com/en/.