The Magic Of Sicily
The luxurious Villa Sant’Andrea on the secluded Bay of Mazzarò in Taormina offers the joys, tastes and splendour of one of Italy’s most desired destinations.
Italy is obviously not the largest country on Earth, but it would be difficult to select another that has so many different and distinctive regions within its boundaries, and all seem to capture the essence of the nation. The island of Sicily is just one of those regions and within Sicily the region of Taormina perfectly captures the spirit, magic and beauty of the island and the soul of the people of Italy.
At the heart of Taormina is Villa Sant’Andrea, one of Italy’s most luxurious and cherished hotels and seaside resorts, and it is steeped in history. It is a playground of the famous, ideally located on the secluded Bay of Mazzarò in Taormina, an idyllic seduction for the eyes, mind, body and soul.
If your fantasy of a resort stay includes a perfectly tranquil location on pristine beaches, luxurious accommodations with attentive concierge and personal butler services, the finest wine, exquisite food that consists of the finest cuisine made by award-winning chefs, a never-ending choice of daily activities, plus wellness treatments and other private indulgences, Villa Sant’Andrea makes that fantasy come true.
Set among private rocky coves and sun-dappled beaches on the Bay of Mazzarò, a location on the Sicilian shore celebrated for its beauty, the property of Villa Sant’Andrea has a fascinating backstory.
In the late 1800s, Englishman Robert Trewhella came to Sicily to help build the Ferrovia Circumetnea railway, and he and his wife fell in love with the breathtaking Bay of Mazzarò. They started to build a lavish summer residence, which, their son Aldred Percy completed in 1919. This magnificent villa was transformed into a hotel, then passed to Alfred Percy’s grandson, Richard Manley.
From the 1960s on the villa’s reputation, enhanced by its hideaway beaches and decadent piano bar, attracted the cream of Sicilian society to the property. Word of this Sicilian paradise also began to spread internationally, especially among the Hollywood elite, always in search of first-class seclusion. The Manley family entertained actors Burt Lancaster and Peter O’Toole as well as the most famous movie stars of the decade: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
Richard Manley recalls the time when a little- known film director contacted him in 1971, inquiring about filming some scenes for an upcoming movie. That director was Francis Ford Coppola. “He wanted to stay in Sicily to film some scenes for The Godfather,” says Manley. “For about six weeks, we hosted several members of the cast, including Al Pacino, who was unknown at the time.” So enamoured was Coppola of Villa Sant’Andrea that he returned to film both The Godfather’s sequel (with Robert De Niro) and the threequel.
The line reaching back to the original Trewhella family of the 1800s finally ended in 1985 when the Manleys returned to England. In 2010, the villa joined the Belmond Hotel family, which has introduced such exciting additions as a serene pool overlooking the bay, luxury cabanas on its private beach and a whole new wing. These additions have allowed Villa Sant’Andrea to increase its service offerings without losing its intimate feeling and attentive personal service.
If Sicily is the essence of Italy, then food is the essence of Villa Sant’Andrea, for it embraces and curates everything that is best about the Sicilian seaside. Since 2018, this focus on the very best of fresh Italian cuisine has been under the creative mastery of Executive Chef Agostino D’Angelo, who previously enjoyed a stellar international career.
Born and raised in Trapani, D’Angelo has been passionate about the traditional flavours of Sicily since his childhood, when he learned the secrets of home cooking from his grandmother, and the art of hospitality by helping his uncle with his trattoria. “I put all the techniques I learned from other countries into the Sicilian traditional recipes,” says Chef D’Angelo.
The chef’s brilliance can be found at each of Villa Sant’Andrea’s dining destinations: Ristorante Sant’Andrea; Brizza, which is open in the summer Wednesdays through Sundays; Bar Sant’Andrea, set on a terrace overlooking the Ionian Sea and open all day, every day; and Brace at Bar Sant’Andrea, which features a working kitchen on its panoramic terrace and is open from the summer to October, generally around midday to midnight.
Ristorante Sant’Andrea features freshly caught swordfish and sardines and a fish couscous made with a traditional recipe from the chef’s home region, the part of Sicily most influenced by Arab cuisine. Brizza is a true “feet in the water” barefoot experience on the sandy beach. Just eight secluded tables guarantee a romantic seaside evening, where Chef D’Angelo creates dishes that evoke the marine environment with fresh seafood and a selection of his renowned dried fish dishes. “To create Brizza’s menu, I drew inspiration from my deep passion for the treasures of Sicily,” says the chef.
Whether guests choose to indulge in beachside Champagne and Cinema evenings, a day in private cabanas at the new Lido Villeggiatura Beach Club, snorkelling, watersports, sunrise yoga classes, special in-cabana treatments or full-day excursions aboard the Apreamare Gozzo sailing yacht to visit the Nature Reserve of Isola Bella, Villa Sant’Andrea offers them a luxurious experience, the best way enjoy the wonders and magic of Sicily.
