Page 229 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Fossa. The family live half the year in Australia, so speak perfect English. €100

La Salina Borgo di Mare Via Manzoni 090 984 3441, lasalinahotel.com. This
impressive four-star hotel is set in the restored buildings of the old salt-works, by
Lingua’s lagoon. The lovely rooms are individually furnished, and most have sea
views and private terraces, while public areas are enhanced by traditional tiles and
stonework. There’s good swimming from below the hotel, with sunbeds set out on the
rocks. No restaurant, but you can eat at nearby Il Gambero on a half-board basis (an

extra €30 per person). €220

Villaggio Eoliano Via Umberto I 52 335 666 0777 or 329 796 6120. A tiny
complex of funky apartments on the main road through the village, overlooking the
lagoon, which offers some of the best-value accommodation on the island. Lovely

owners, and lots of cats. Closed Oct–April. €80

EATING AND DRINKING

Da Alfredo Piazza Marina Garibaldi 090 984 3075. Right on the seafront piazza,
this little café is famous throughout Italy for its fresh fruit granitas – the summer
yachties and boat-trippers queue up for a taste. The other speciality is pane cunzato, a

huge round of grilled bread piled with various combinations of home-cured tuna,
capers, tomatoes, baked ricotta and olives (€8–11). Daily 8am till last customer
leaves; closed Dec–Easter.

Il Delfino Via Marina Garibaldi 5 090 9843 024, ildelfinosalina.it. Lovely
restaurant, with tables on the Lungomare, well known for its antipasto buffet (arrive
around 8pm to make the most of it). The signature dish is the stuffed calamari braised

with onions and malvasia wine (€15), but check out daily specials as well. Daily
lunch & dinner; closed Dec–Easter.

Il Gambero Piazza Marina Garibaldi 090 984 3049. This restaurant serves
excellent fish – try the mixed fish antipasto (€15) and involtini di pesce spada (€15)
– as well as pizza and pane cunzato, and all-day snacks and aperitivo in summer.
There’s also a fixed-price menu at €15 (€20 in Aug). Daily lunch & dinner; closed
Dec–Easter.

Malfa

Six kilometres from Santa Marina, reached along Salina’s sole, tortuous coast road,
Malfa is the island’s biggest village, spilling down from the gentle, neatly cultivated
vineyards on the lower slopes of Monte Fossa. At the centre of the village is the main

church and a large piazza with views out to sea, inlaid with a rosa dei venti or
compass rose, which names the eight prevailing Mediterranean winds.