A historical site dominating the mediterranean sea,
in the midst of the pristine countryside of the hyblean plateau.
This unique property is perharps one of the few
hotels in sicily where one truly feels the intriguing charm of
prestigious island.
Eremo della Giubiliana, a charming hotel
set in a historical residence, a few kilometers south of Ragusa,
to the south of Tunisi, in the Eastern Lands of a different Sicily,
the one of the Hyblean plateau and pristine nature,
among carob forests and stone walls.
Very old thick white stone walls surround and protect the
courtyards and inner structure. Its white tower stands tall and
overlooks the plateau that gently slopes towards the sea and there are
miles and miles of coast as far as the eye can see.
Across, on clear days, which are common in these latitudes,
you can see the island of Malta
and the African Coast, a
never-ending horizon steeped in mystique and history.
A vacation spent at Eremo della Giubiliana
will be one to remember!
You may decide to spend it in the peacefulness of Eremo,
protected by its thick walls, going for walks through the park or the
medieval trails, or take advantage of the strategic location of Eremo,
practically in the center of the eastern part of Sicily, and use it as
the perfect starting point for excursions throughout the land: Taormina,
Siracusa, Val di Noto, Agrigento, baroque centers and some of the most
beautiful archeological sites are all less than half an hour by car.
HistoryThe estate used to be part of the old ecclesiastical
feudal hold of Renna, dating from the
12th century, and was an old Arab rural home (Rendet
gebuni), a sort of hermitage and fortified fortress
dominating the sea serving as a defensive bastion against the
incursions of Barbary pirates operating under the Turkish flagship
their piracy activity in the Mediterranean.
The Knights of the Order of San Giovanni,
stationed in the nearby island of Malta, used the
Convent structure in the first half of the 16th century. Recent
restorations have revealed their passage through this place.
In the 18th century the Eremo
was acquired by the Nifosì, a wealthy land-owner
family of the plateau.
The present heiress, Vincenza Jolanda Nifosì,
has decided to restore it, and in this way continuing with the family
tradition by opening the estate as a rural destination and personally
managing it as a splendid 5-star hotel in Ragusa.
Eremo della Giubiliana, to the south of Ragusa,
dominates the Hyblean plateau among carob groves
and stone walls; it is located at the center of southeast Sicily,
in the heart of Val di Noto.
From Eremo the most beautiful natural
reserves of Sicily can be easily reached:
- Randello, the Natural Reserve of the Irminio River,
- the Pino d'Aleppo Natural Reserve,
- Vendicari, the famous necropolis at Cava
d'Ispicaand Pantalica ,
- the important archeological digs of Kamarina,
- the very interesting museums of Ragusa,
Modica, Chiaramonte Gulfi,
- the ancient fishermen districts with typical fish
markets.
Not to be missed are the baroque centers of Ragusa
Ibla, Modica, Scicli and Ispica, only a few kilometers from
Eremo, declared by UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ragusa is also an ideal place to embark in
an extraordinary wine and food journey to discover the many specialties
of the land: Ragusano D.O.P. cheese, an amazing variety of
wild vegetables, the aroma of Cerasuolo and Nero d'Avola, and the
famous sweets made from Modicano chocolate and carob honey.
The kitchen, cared for personally by the owners is a
genuine and refined aristocratic territory located on the Ragusano
plateau, based solely on biological products from the ancient
garden, the cheeses, pasta’s and bread made with only hard
grain flour and focacce made with the mushrooms and wild greens of
which you can collect personally.
Moreover, you will be able to taste the best Sicilian
wines directly from the wine cellar prepared in a medieval crypt.
The Eremo of the Giubiliana is
therefore the best among the hotels of Ragusa, for
an ideal eno-gastronomica vacation, come and discover a true
Mediterranean kitchen and the ancient recipes of the Ibla
Aristocrats, who origins can be traced back to a
thousand cultural influences brought the island.
The Sala Grande
The large dining room with its vaulted arches turn
back time to the ancient mess hall of the Knights of the Order of Saint
Giovanni, this extraordinary atmosphere welcomes you to the
restaurant, as well as to the tea and first breakfast area of the Eremo.
The dining area, the tea and Piano Bar is furnished with
antique dining furniture and patronized in silk Drapery, on the ancient
walls are splendid collections of rare geographic maps of Sicily from
the XV to the XVIII century.
The large breakfast buffet is opened near the large glass
doors facing South, from which an extraordinary view of the secular
olive park is enjoyed and in the background is the sea and the islands
of Malta.
A symbolic painting from the 600’s representing the Madonna,
saint Giuseppe and Jesus completes the furnishings of this refined and
"evocative" atmosphere that allows the guest to experience what it’s
like to travel back in the time and receive a taste of the aristocratic
countryside on the plateau.
Bar
The guest will have some difficulty to describing it.
The rigorous respect in the restoration of the structure and
the great care placed in the recovery of the antique furnishes gives it
a very "disguised" look, so as to conserve as much as possible the
feeling of the ancient residence of the Nifosì family.
Between the front sitting room with its great fireplace, the
dining area or in the garden perfumed from the Arabic Jasmine
"Horus Concusses", the guest can pass the hours choosing between the
immense range of liqueurs, drinks and cocktail proposals from our
barman; as well as our distilled wines from which you can reflect on
the famous past of the Sicilian culture, accompanied by the
extraordinary Marzipan sweets of Modica and of course the priceless
Modican chocolate.
The Crypt
The Eremo has a unique wine cellar. In fact is
located in a medieval Cripta, under the Church of the Knights of the
Order of Saint Giovanni.
Accurately restored, from the walls a cliff and with its great
atmospheric vaulted arches, it contains more than
400 labels of the best foreign and Sicilian wines.
The guest will be able to taste biological products from the
estate of the Nifosì family in Cripta, such as olive oils, lards and
the sausages from the black pigs of the Nebrodi in addition to the
sophisticated plates known as the "Taste of the land" and the "Taste of
the Sea".
