UNA Hotel Palace

Hotel description

Set in a restored hundred-year-old building in the Catania city center, in the shadow of Mount Etna on the east coast of Sicily, the UNA Hotel Palace is something of a departure — both for the city it calls home and for the UNA chain, whose hotels elsewhere in Italy are resolutely forward-looking in terms of design, many of them dramatic brand-new buildings.

The Palace, by contrast, is a mix of modern and classic — certainly no traditional family operation, it nevertheless makes certain overtures towards its surroundings. The rooms are streamlined and modern, white and minimal but with flourishes of old-world luxury like ornate headboards and curvaceous baroque furnishings, while petite railed balconies afford views of the Catanian street life.

On the rooftop there’s a garden terrace, the perfect venue for a drink with a view of the city and the mountains. Up here you’ll find the hotel’s Sicilian and international restaurant, while inside the American-style bar serves cocktails against the backdrop of a striking modern space. Other offerings include a Turkish bath, fitness center and meeting rooms, and the location at the heart of Catania affords easy access to the sights, including a splendid Baroque cathedral, a Roman amphitheater and the birthplace of the opera composer Vincenzo Bellini.