3 Best Hotels in Selinunte, Sicily

You'll experience refined upscale living on a landed aristocratic estate when you stay at this stylishly renovated villa surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. The villa has been cleverly converted so that it can be rented as a whole (it sleeps 12) or as three separate apartments (sleeping two- to four people each) with a chef to provide all catering. Exposed stone walls—some taken from the site of Selinunte several hundred years ago when such things were not frowned upon—are combined with terra-cotta and ceramic tiles and wooden beams. Private terraces are accessible through contemporary glass doors, ensuring inner spaces are full of natural light. Many of the doors are antique—including an 18th-century carved oak door with a cat hole—while the tastefully tiled showers have hammam-style benches that invite long steamy soaks. Textiles are all exquisite and understated. The grounds include a magnificent saltwater swimming pool. Although all three apartments have independent entrances, the two apartments in the main house are separated by doors rather than walls.

This authentic rural accommodation on the Centonze olive oil estate rings is a short drive from the coast and from the temples of Selinunte. The two big pools—one with a 500-year olive tree beside it—along with the children’s pool, small playground, and little farm zoo (home to geese, goats, tortoises, chickens, and ducks) make this an ideal choice for families. Rooms are in clusters of whitewashed outbuildings, each with its own terra-cotta-tiled terrace. The restaurant is open every evening and for Sunday lunch, with a daily changing fixed menu, and olive oil tastings can be arranged.

Belonging to the Planeta family of winemakers, La Foresteria is a truly gorgeous contemporary hotel with exceptional food and views from herb-scented terraces over the vineyards to the sea. The 14 rooms are spacious, with glass doors opening onto private terraces, terra-cotta-tiled floors lain with delicate kilims, and traditional Sicilian iron bedsteads with dreamily comfortable mattresses and pillows, superb quality white sheets, and hand-stitched Indian eiderdowns. Bathrooms are made for being lazy, with good showers, oversize bathtubs, and very puffy bathrobes. Along with kettles and coffee machines, there are jars of loose herbal teas and tea bags to enjoy. Wine is, of course, excellent (guided tastings and trips to the main vineyards can be organized) and the food is superb, with an intelligently designed menu where innovative dishes and traditional Planeta family favorites sit happily side by side. There are not only several tasting menus and à la carte dishes, but menus that can be designed to suit individual tastes and appetites, with faultless guidance on wine pairings. Cooking lessons are available most mornings.