Atelier Sul Mare

Sicily

Detached from the Italian boot 600,000 years ago, Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean. Sought after and invaded by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs and the Normans, it contains vestiges of all these brilliant civilizations. Greek temples stand together with medieval fortresses and oriental gardens and are juxtaposed with Baroque churches and cathedrals. Sicily’s cuisine, culture and population all bear witness to this exceptional history.

Bordered by more than 1,000 kilometers of coast line on which umbrella pine, almond and lemon trees grow, the island has an extraordinary natural heritage. Etna, which rises to 3,350 meters is Europe’s largest volcano and one of the most active in the world. It’s a two to three hour climb to the summit, and its flanks offer unusual landscapes ranging from a veritable lava desert to lush and varied vegetation.

Surrounded by picturesque islands and islets and bathed by limpid waters, it is also a paradise for deep-sea divers. Sicily’s particular identity, created by its oriental type gastronomy, its landscapes, climate, splendid and eclectic monuments, beaches and bright sunshine make it a very special tourist destination with incomparable charm.

Living in a work of art

In the Bay of Cefalu, near a charming little fishing village, L’Atelier sul Mare’s whitewashed façade faces the crystalline water of the Mediterranean Sea. This livable work of art is a concept unique in the world. The eccentric creator of this original hotel is the artist-writer Antonio Presti, who built the largest open-air sculpture park in Europe, the Fiumare d’Arte. L’Atelier Sul Mare is the extravagant synthesis of a hotel and a contemporary art museum.

Visitors here have a privileged relationship with art since their rooms are true works of art. Ten rooms in fact, were commissioned to renowned international artists like sculptors Mario Ceroli, Paolo Icaro, Hidetoshi Nagasawa and even film director Raul Ruiz, who were asked to create something that would awaken the senses…and the results are surprising to say the least. These rooms all have imaginative names like the Water Bearer’s room, the Prophet’s room, dedicated to the late film maker, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Energy, The Nest, I Embark on a Paper Boat, the Mouth of Truth, The Denied Sea room, Dreams between Signs, Sigismonde’s Tower, the Land and Fire room, and Shadow Line. Each room offers a space and a captivating scenario in which the guest becomes part of the work.

Imagined by Antonio Presti, Agnese Purgatorio, Danielle Mitterand and Cristina Bertelli, the Water Bearer’s room is a statement in favor of conserving water throughout the world. It has two distinct spaces. One is dominated by a cold, metallic tone and covered in aluminum, invoking drought. The other, covered in copper, is a conductor of energy. At the end of the room, a large stone fountain reminds the visitor that he must be a bearer of water, life and light.

The room dedicated to Pasolini was designed by Antonio Presti, poet Dario Belleza and the actress, Adele Cambria and has walls made of earth and straw, in reference to the film, “The Flower of the Thousand and One Nights”, and contains a window in the form of a cinema screen and an under frame representing a sand beach, recalling the site where Pasolini was assassinated.

Art is equally present in the restaurant. The purest traditional Sicilian food is served, surrounded by art works and facing the sea, an experience as unique as the concept of the hotel.

Danielle Mitterand, the late wife of the former French president, considered water the most important of the rights of man, and participated in the development of the Water Bearer’s room.