San Domenico Palace, Taormina, a Four Seasons Hotel

Character and identity

Perched on a Taormina clifftop above the Ionian Sea, with Mount Etna brooding in the distance, this 111-room Four Seasons occupies a 14th-century Dominican convent that became a 19th-century palace and, more recently, the set of The White Lotus season two. The architecture does the heavy lifting: cloisters, manicured gardens, Latin-inscribed fireplaces, restored frescoes and an ancient well at the heart of the grand cloister. Dining anchors at Principe Cerami, where chef Massimo Mantarro runs refined Sicilian tasting menus, with Anciovi by the clifftop infinity pool and all-day Bar & Chiostro alongside. Service is polished and history-literate.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What you're paying for here is the building itself and the cooking inside it, a genuine convent-palace with Mantarro's kitchen and a cliff-edge view of Etna that few hotels in Europe can match. Splurge on a sea-view room or terrace suite rather than a courtyard category, book Principe Cerami early, and aim for shoulder season (May or late September) when the pool is open and Taormina is calmer.