Sicilian splendour

Stunning views, homegrown delicacies and a few rounds of golf at the Verdura Resort offer an idyllic weekend escape

- TOM OTLEY

For a sunset, it would be hard to find anywhere to beat Verdura. Set on Sicily’s southwest coast, The Verdura Resort, a Rocco Forte hotel has an uninterrupted view out to the Mediterranean, with the next stop being Tunisia some 500 miles away. The resort makes the most of its situation, the low slung villas set back a few hundred metres from the 1.8 km stretch of private beach, so that as the world turns and the sun moves across the resort, it heats those lying by the pools, scorches those playing golf, and then in the evening, the sun hangs just above the horizon while drinks are served.

It takes more than unrivalled sunsets to make a luxury resort, of course. Set between the fishing town of Sciacca and the famous Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, Verdura was designed by Italian architect Flavio Albanese and has modern straight lines, flat roofs and grassy surrounds, planted both for insulation and to blend with the surrounding golf fairways. The walls are warmly coloured with terracotta and ochre, and a variety of textures have been used, including local stone, sand and wood, to create a stylish but unobtrusive ambience.

Heritage design

The interiors are the work of Olga Polizzi, sister of Rocco Forte. Hand-painted ceramics and 19thcentury design are a recurring motif in the bedcovers, lampshades and cushions in the rooms, and you see the same pattern on the walls of the Bar Granita where a Sicilian mojito of rum, fresh citrus, and mint from the grounds makes a winning start to the evening. It’s a stylish place, with the boutiques in the main building displaying design and sculpture from Italian companies such as Paola Lenti, Bonacina, Driade, Flos, Porada, Flexform and Gabbianelli.