Tenute Baglio Passofondo

Tenute Baglio Passofondo is an 1852 noble baglio in the countryside of Alcamo, western Sicily, set at the heart of an estate of about nine hectares of hills, vineyards and centuries-old olive groves. Its chisel-dressed stone buildings are gathered around a square courtyard, entered through a gateway with a wrought-iron gate. A careful restoration has kept the original layout and turned it into a house with ten suites. The property is listed in the MICHELIN Guide hotel selection.

Around the courtyard are the outdoor pool with sun terrace and bar, a wellness area offering treatments and massages, common rooms with timber ceilings and a garden with a picnic area. The estate makes its own wine from Zibibbo, Catarratto, Calabrese and Alcamo Bianco grapes, and olive oil from its trees. Palermo is about 45 km away, Falcone Borsellino airport around 30 km.

Tenute Baglio Passofondo is run by its owners with a small team who look after guests from arrival, with private check-in and a concierge service for booking excursions, car hire and transfers to and from Palermo and Trapani airports (at extra cost). The estate can also be booked for exclusive use by groups, retreats and private events.

The wellness area offers massages, including for couples, and face and body treatments. Free private parking, Wi-Fi throughout and laundry service. Pets are allowed; the property is entirely non-smoking, with a designated outdoor area.

The ten suites occupy the rooms of the baglio and come in four types: Suite, Suite with Hot Tub, King Suite and Family Suite. Walls are in exposed stone, which keeps them cool in summer, under timber-beamed ceilings; every suite has a contemporary fireplace for the colder months and some have a Jacuzzi bath in the room.

In-room amenities: air conditioning, heating, fireplace, flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi, safe, private bathroom with spa bath or shower, toiletries, room service and breakfast in the room on request. Family suites and accessible rooms are available.

The estate's kitchen works with its own produce and that of the area: oil from its olive trees, wine from the vineyards around the baglio, vegetables and cheeses from the countryside between Alcamo and the Gulf of Castellammare. Breakfast is served every morning and can be brought to the room on request.

The in-house restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with booking required at least 24 hours in advance. A poolside bar serves aperitifs and snacks. On request the estate arranges tastings of its wines, Sicilian cooking classes and picnics among the olive trees.

The estate's wellness area offers massages, including for couples, and face and body treatments by appointment, in rooms set within the stone spaces of the baglio.

Alcamo is a small town between Palermo and Trapani, looking down over the Gulf of Castellammare, with a compact historic centre around the Castle of the Counts of Modica and a long winemaking tradition tied to the Alcamo DOC. The estate lies in the countryside along the SP 119, a few minutes from the Alcamo exit of the A29 motorway.

By car, Castellammare del Golfo and the Segesta Archaeological Park, with its Doric temple and ancient theatre, are about 20 minutes away; Scopello and the Zingaro Nature Reserve about half an hour. Within an hour are Burri's Cretto at Gibellina, Erice, Trapani with its salt pans and the Stagnone lagoon towards Marsala. Palermo is about 45 minutes away.