Looming high above Taormina's famous Clock Tower and the Piazza IX Aprile, Metropole Taormina occupies an 18th Century palace that debuted from a complete renovation in March 2011. A grand stucco facade with script logo emblazoned across its sea-facing side leads to a dramatic entry flanked by grand old doors. Inside, a glass-enclosed solarium leads to a massive cliff-side deck that connects the lobby lounge and gourmet eatery with indoor and outdoor dining options. Stone floors lead to a series of modern corridors with Moorish passageways and Venetian relief accented by colorful Sicilian tile mosaics. Nearby, an infinity pool that stretches perilously over the sea is etched in blue tile with teak ledge arranged in sun-loungers fit for all-day preening. It's easy to get lost amongst the 7 floors with a secret world of hidden corridors etched in stacked-stone leading to a small spa equipped with buxom marble-clad hamam. 

The Room:

Taromina is currently in the midst of a hospitality upgrade that’s seen the debut of two Orient Express properties to an existing infrastructure of Relais Chateaux and Leading Hotels properties. A small Italian boutique chain, called Maison D’Hotels that offers a smaller, sometimes more-intimate guest experience than the city’s larger properties, manages Metropole. The hotel is home to a series of 23 rooms defined by white-honed Carrera marble floors and modern interiors not shy about white leather of tufting. A number of bi-level suites offer upper-level lounges edged in glass with marble staircases as well as step-out balconies that erupt from the hotel’s historic façade with small seating area high above the sea. Photos: Hotel Metropole/Martina Barberini