Indelible Italy: Why Donna Coraly Is The Most Interesting Hotel In Sicily
A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority, from his not having seen what it is expected a man should see.
“So this place is a combination of interesting things, it’s our family history, but also ‘history-history.’” says Lucia Pascarelli of her country boutique hotel in southeastern Sicily, Donna Coraly. The Luxury travel writer Ann Abel talked about this masseria (fortified Italian farmhouse) on the San Michele estate—which goes back more than 600 years—that combines history and authenticity with romance and play. Her article was published on Forbes at this link
the estate hidden gems
Lucia Pascarelli is the fifth generation of her family managing this unique estate, the renovation project have been completed six years ago, with six unique and well-decorated suites, each with a private garden or terrace.
The rooms are plenty of natural light, with soft canopy bed frames or rolling wrought iron headboards, pastel color patterns, organically felt materials and the traditional Sicilian Testa de Moro head-but only for the queen. Each room is named after a traditional Sicilian woman, and this may not be a coincidence. After a childhood in Milan-but a long summer in her grandmother’s Sicily manor-and adult life spent in various parts of the world, Pascarelli set out to create Donna Coraly seven years ago after a break-up with her husband, naming the estate Donna Coraly as a tribute to her grandmother, a French baroness named Coralie.
The design is both classic and inviting, with cool enamel tiles on the feet and soft sheets on the family’s 19th-century furniture. Hospitality is a relaxed scene. The ground is littered with flowers of nature, especially in the aromatic garden restored by Pascarelli.
The garden, an ancient carob tree, the pool designed to seem like a small lake make the guests feeling like in a nature full-immersion. Another particularity much appreciated is the Slow Food and heritage, “0 km” ingredients— grown in Donna Caroly’s kitchen gardens.
pills of history
During World War II, Pascarelli’s great-grandparents were diplomats, well-educated, spoke English, and met Eisenhower and Montgomery. Their estate eventually became the headquarters of the U.S. Army.
“We imagine that they knew the situation of the family when they chose this house,” she pointed out that even if they helped the Americans, they were official prisoners. Two months later, the Cassibile Armistice Agreement was signed, marking Italy’s surrender. A stone in the garden commemorates this event. This is why this amazing place is not only a Luxury place to spend Sicilian Holidays but also a building in which each stone tells a story.
