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Verdura Resort, Sciacca. Straddling time and the sea

Green, blue and palm trees, a watchtower on the beach. There is more to Sicily than the Valley of the Temples: it is a land of dukes, poets and artists

Verdura Resort 2021 reopening inauguration

The Sicilian estate of Rocco Forte Hotels Group, Verdura Resort, opened on May thirteenth, inaugurating the 2021 season with six-hundred-and-eighty new trees to enrich the Verdura Resort Forest. In addition to the olive, orange, almond, prickly pear, pomegranate and lemon trees, four-hundred-and-eighty new olive and orange trees were added in autumn 2020. Bringing the number of fruit trees now existing in the Foresta Verdura Resort to seven-thousand-and-seven-hundred.

This intervention, carried out in view of the opening of the 2021 season, aims at transforming the Verdura Resort of Sciacca into a destination that can do its part to absorb CO₂ and preserve biodiversity. Thanks to this new collaboration, in fact, starting from the 2021 season, the Verdura Resort becomes the first operator in the luxury segment that is the spokesman of sustainable tourism. With a commitment that can be supported by guests, institutional customers and partner companies. Everyone will be able to plant an orange tree in the Foresta Verdura Resort, created in collaboration with Treedom, thanks to their donations both during the booking and stay at Verdura Resort. 

Agrigento offers more than the Valley of the Temples, the ruins of the ancient city of Akragas and the Scala dei Turchi. The River Verdura, in fact, flows through the cities of Sciacca and Ribera for more than fifty kilometers. You can drive to the Verdura resort, crossing a land of dukes. Primarily the jewelry designer adored by Chanel, Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, Duke of Verdura and a cousin of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

Lampoon review: Verdura Resort managed by Rocco Forte Hotels

The hotel feels like a mirage painted in shades of green and blue, hidden among palm trees. A watchtower on the beach. Open-air saltwater swimming pools, caponata and lemon sorbet. Sicily. Rocco Forte Hotels – which has twelve five-star properties across Europe – currently manages it. Architect Flavio Albanese was in charge of the design of the structure. While, Olga Polizzi took care of the interiors.

A a total of one-hundred-and-sixty-eight guest rooms, twenty-nine suites and six villas characterize the two-hundred-and-thirty hectares of grounds, planted with olive trees and 1.8 kilometers of private coastline. The designer chose to integrate locally-made furniture and hand crafted items to create a mood that is predominantly Sicilian. Antique majolica ware sourced on the island and lemon trees marking the entrance.

The use of materials like stone, wood, reeds and sand pays tribute to the local heritage, giving the rooms the sensation of good taste without being overly fussy. The art of simple luxury. The suites are near the beach – with views over the Mediterranean. While, the villas are more isolated and were designed for maximum privacy. They can accommodate up to nine people and have their own private pool, outdoor terraces, spacious and well-lit bathrooms, and an atrium. The resort has also three golf courses designed by Kyle Philips, a sixty-meter-swimming pool, six tennis courts and a Spa. Four-thousand square meters include several pavilions as well as a central outdoor court.

Verdura Resort Spa area

The highlights are the heated pools, the Spa area, as well as the guest rooms or suites hidden in the grounds, in front of the lawn and the park with access to the sea. This is the only weakness because the beach does not live up to the magnificent surroundings. As a result, the Verdura Resort may be considered more suitable for a winter sojourn rather than a summer one.

The resort’s restaurants and Sicilian fare – the Amare, Liolà and Zagara. The name of the Amare restaurant is a play on words. It emphasizes, in fact, the love of food grown and sourced in the Mediterranean. The Amare serves only the best local products. Fresh fish and seafood, and its specialty, crudo. Raw fish served up for generations in Sicilian fishing villages. Fillets with extra virgin olive oil, citrus fruits and a pinch of salt. Busiate pasta with shrimps and pistachio nuts. Sicilian sausage with bay leaves.

The Liolà had fun dressing up as a typical Sicilian trattoria and the end result looks quite credible. The restaurant is also a pizzeria and has an open-air terrace overlooking the cliffs. It offers an exclusively Sicilian menu. Sicilian caponata, arancini and panelle, pasta alla norma, Sicilian pizza with tomatoes, breadcrumbs, pecorino cheese and basil. The Zagara was designed by chef Fulvio Pierangelini who decided to focus his menu on Mediterranean products. Olive oil, oranges, lemons, freshly-caught fish, tomatoes etc, are accompanied by a selection of Sicilian wines.

Verdura Resort

State Road Ss 115, Sciacca, Agrigento, Sicily
Verdura Resort is a five-star-hotel located on Sicily’s southwest coast.

Ornella Fusco

The writer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article.

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