PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

This is the most legendary hotel in Sicily, and it's still receiving guests even though its heyday is long past. For nostalgia buffs, however, there's nothing to top it. Since the 19th century, it has sheltered some of the island's most illustrious visitors, including Richard Wagner, who finished Parsifal here. The hotel has seen enough murders, suicides of poets, romantic but off-the-record liaisons, and aristocratic intrigue to fill a book the size of War and Peace. Classy furnishings, towering pillars, and antique chandeliers still evoke the greatness of a bygone era. The charm of this antique grande dame glows on its rooftop terrace as well. Now used largely to house tour groups, the hotel carries on nobly with such drawbacks as an absolute lack of greenery and a location along one of the busiest streets of Palermo. Management is working to revive the place to its former glory, but it's an uphill battle, and a great deal depends on your room assignment. While the public rooms are still glamorous, some guest rooms can be disappointingly simple. The best ones feature antiques, heavy Italian fabrics, stucco ceilings, and parquet floors.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Sicily, 4th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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