Piero Guccione loved the moody sea of Ragusa’s province. He spent his life painting it—sometimes trying to capture its calm stillness, other times its crashing fury, as seen in his exquisite oil paintings now on display in the newly opened Stanze di Piero in Scicli, where the Carmine Museum of Contemporary Art has also just inaugurated. He walked the beach at Sampieri every single day, two kilometers to the old Pisciotto brick factory with its now-halved smokestack. Other painters from the Scicli Group, of which he was a leading figure alongside Franco Sarnari, preferred the countryside. That countryside is lush green in spring and golden in summer. Yellows, ochres, browns; hedges of prickly pears; almond and carob trees with twisted trunks rise from scorched earth like desperate souls. Sun-soaked courtyards, shuttered doors until eight in the evening, when the light finally relents and grants a moment of cool. In their paintings, you can almost smell jasmine and hear the chirping of cicadas.
The Sicilian hinterland is mysterious—a masterpiece shaped by nature and man, traced with dry-stone walls, each plot telling the story of small farmers or noble estates producing award-winning cheeses, sausages, olive oil, and wine. It’s as if this Sleeping Beauty has finally awakened and is eager to share her stories.
New Projects in the Heartland
The hunger for more authentic tourism has put Sicily in the spotlight, ushering in ambitious renewal projects under the banner of its legendary hospitality. The big hospitality brands have settled along the coast—Belmond and more recently Four Seasons, which, thanks to The White Lotus series, has made Taormina fully booked for two years running. Meanwhile, Rocco Forte—after successful seaside openings like Verdura in Sciacca and Villa Igiea in Palermo—is transforming the 18th-century Palazzo Castelluccio in Noto into a five-star hotel, opening in 2026.
Noto is now a star, fashionable and well-loved by designers and creatives who’ve found their slice of paradise and set their events there. But venture just a little inland and you’ll rediscover places and atmospheres untouched by trends. In Avola’s sea-view countryside, Braccialieri opened in April: four rooms in a historic masseria and six eco-villas scattered across an estate of 2,200 olive trees and 250 almond trees. On one side, an agricultural project; on the other, a boutique hotel curated by the ever-energetic Alessandro Enriquez for the Cancemi family. The highlight? A red-and-white checkerboard pool with Don’t forget to love inscribed on the bottom, surrounded by red geranium umbrellas, citrus-themed fabrics, and dishes bearing the project’s core message: love for Sicily and for life. The vibe is one of a friend’s or relative’s summer home, where parmigiana is served hot and granita always at hand. You won’t miss the sea—but it’s just a glance away, before reaching the family’s beach club.
The Occhipinti sisters have energized the province of Ragusa, long reluctant to reveal itself. Arianna, a celebrated winemaker in Vittoria, and Fausta, an architect and landscape designer, have created Baglio Occhipinti, a flourishing farm with charming rooms and lush gardens. The main activity is relaxation, but you can alternate it with cooking classes, pastry workshops, painting, and decorating traditional Sicilian straw bags. And this is just a taste.
The Revival of the Belice Valley
Slow, rural travel is captivating visitors across the island, east to west. In Menfi’s hinterland, the Planeta family—renowned wine and olive oil producers—opened a country house in 2024. Ten monastic-style rooms invite full disconnection, yet with comforts like a pool and the homey cuisine of chef Angelo Pumilia, also behind La Foresteria and the nearby seaside club Insula. Life moves gently here, but the location is ideal to explore a rarely told corner of Sicily—from the ruins of Selinunte to the haunting modernism of Alberto Burri’s Cretto, Europe’s largest land art installation.
This monumental work lies in the Belice Valley, shattered by a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in 1968. Its ruins remained untouched until 1981, when visionary mayor Ludovico Corrao invited artists to reimagine the ghost town. Among the proposals, Burri’s vision was chosen: a sculptural map of the old town built with rubble and cement, laid out like a street grid. From afar, it resembles a vast white shroud draped over the hills. No ticket, no labels, no fence—just sheep more often than people. Together with the 400 artworks in Gibellina’s new town contemporary art museum (MAC), this masterpiece has earned the town the title of Italy’s first Contemporary Art Capital in 2026, with €1 million allocated for cultural initiatives and revitalization.
So Close, Yet So Exotic
The projects are multiplying. A new energy is sweeping through Sicily, one that isn’t just betting on coastal resorts, but on the revival of its interior—thanks to visionary local ventures, prestigious designations like Agrigento as Italian Capital of Culture 2025, and major screen productions like The Leopard, recently released on Netflix. The Sicilian countryside is a narrative force in the series, with Donnafugata, Cannizzola’s Calanchi, and Ciminna perfectly capturing the essence of Lampedusa’s novel and sparking curiosity for a destination so near, yet so enchantingly exotic.
*published on Il Sole 24 Ore, 8th June 2025