Fodor's Expert Review Relais Briuccia

This exquisitely restored and furnished Art Nouveau palazzo is perhaps the most improbable hotel on the entire island of Sicily: it sits in the heart of Montallegro, a shabby agricultural town that lacks both charm and beauty, yet the Briuccia and its fine dining restaurant are special enough to deserve consideration as your main base for exploring this part of the island. It’s in easy driving distance of Agrigento, Scala dei Turchi, and Torre Salsa, and inland you’ll find unspoiled landscapes where pointed peaks rise above undulating hills planted with olive and almond groves. With beautiful wallpapers, wooden staircases, beamed ceilings, encaustic tiled floors, and antique furniture, rugs, and mirrors, Briuccia is a little world of its own. The former courtyard has been transformed into a winter garden, where dinner and breakfast are served. There are just five rooms with a highlight being the suite with its own terrace (and hydromassage bath) on the top floor. Owner/chef Damiano Ferraro also runs cooking classes for guests. For breakfast, guests are presented with an elegant platter of seasonal fruit, yogurt, and delicious sweet and savory Sicilian morsels.