The Luna del Raccolto boutique hotel, a luxury eco-friendly establishment located in the town of Valderice close to the mediaeval town of Erice and just a 15-minute drive from Trapani, is reminiscent of a traditional Sicilian farmhouse but with a new and decidedly contemporary focus on health and the environment.
Housed in a renovated mid-nineteenth-century country home, the hotel offers tasteful, modern rooms (including a deluxe suite with a private Jacuzzi) and a restaurant that recreates the authentic flavours of the past using seasonal produce grown in the kitchen garden. There is also a lush typically Sicilian garden where guests can enjoy the regenerating power of nature surrounded by numerous local tree species such as Indian shot, jasmine, olive, hibiscus, magnolia and yucca. But above and beyond the physical presence of nature, what really sets the building renovation project apart is its focus on the environment in general, including care for the ecosystem and resources, especially water and energy, and consequently for human health. Led by architect Daniela Guarneri, CEO of the start-up Revive, the renovation project was conceived as the pilot for a new model of hospitality that would be more attentive to the local area and the principles of sustainable tourism. “The renovation project followed principles of sustainability and recognised the importance of aspects such as energy and water savings, reducing CO2 emissions, improving the ecological quality of the interior, and the choice of materials and resources used,” reads the hotel’s presentation. It is an undoubtedly ambitious project that aims to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the highest level awarded under the voluntary sustainable building programme set up by the U.S. Green Building Council. The choice of materials played a key role and included porcelain stoneware slabs from Marazzi’s Mystone Silverstone collection, which stands out for its extremely natural texture reminiscent of sandstone. Selected both for its technical characteristics and advanced production technology, it was installed in the colour grey in three different sizes (60×60 cm for the interior floors and bathrooms, 60×120 cm for the stairs, and an extra-thick 30×60 cm version for the exterior paving). This choice is in perfect harmony with the aesthetics and character of the entire project.