A simple story
Family hospitality since 1954
Hotel Faraglione came to life in 1954 as a landing place and simple dwelling etched into the rock outcrop that dominates the Bay of Levante and looks up to its geological mother, the crater, overlooking a crystalline sea that had become a playground for adventurous travellers and divers, determined to fish elusive prey in the depths or discover archaeological treasures jealously confined in the holds of sunken Greco-Roman ships.
At this time my husband’s family, of Eolian origins, had a happy intuition: transform the modest haven into a small hotel on the bay, where as yet there was no port, and large ships anchored out to sea to transfer passengers, mail and goods onto small wooden rowing boats that would go to and froe between steamship and shore.
During the 70s, amid booming tourism, the dwelling grew into its present incarnation, a simple hotel with 12 rooms, each with bathroom, and a large terrace facing a bay that with time became a real port for ships, hydrofoils and all manner of seaworthy vessels.
Ever since Uncle Francis, by profession a lawyer and visiting professor, realized a small dream at the Bay of Levante, the Restuccia-Bruno family has continuously managed the small hotel, notwithstanding other professional commitments as lawyers, bankers, teachers and involvement in local government. Thus, since the 50s, three generations have assumed roles as hoteliers, with the latest expanding into the business of bar and open-air cafè, and a steadfast traditional confectionery (Pasticceria Artigianale) that fills the morning air with the wispy smell of freshly baked, fuming croissants and brioches destined to accompany a cappuccino, delicious granita or ice-cream flavoured with fresh local fruits or made with traditional Sicilian ingredients, followed during the day by the unmistakable aroma of pizza and other succulent specialties that characterize Sicily and the islands. Today, Bar Faraglione is itself a haven and must-go-to for travellers seeking refreshment and entertainment after a day climbing the crater or exploring the island, weary from a day of swimming, playing or sunbathing at one of the two nearby beaches, or just simply relaxed from a bathe in the mudpool.
Hotel Faraglione is situated opposite the crater that dominates the Bay of Levante, port of call for passenger ships, hydrofoils and yachts with which to depart for the other islands of the archipelago and the mainland, and during the busy summer months as far as Naples and Palermo. At barely more than 100m, behind the namesake rock outcrop that shelters the hotel, are welcoming mudbaths, thermal springs and beach. A little further along the road tracks across an isthmus separating the two beaches of Levante, with its yellowish sand, and Ponente, with its fine black sand and gently sloping seabed – a paradise for families, and magnet for those seeking to watch a breath-taking sunset, and perhaps go for a midnight swim…In the nearby centre, and not far from the small piazzetta are an open-air spa, shops and restaurants.
