Local cooking
First courses from the Etna tradition and Etna porcini mushrooms in the period when they are available.
Zafferana Etnea, 600 metres up Mount Etna
Restaurant and country guesthouse in an old palmento
Local cooking, rooms and a hall for ceremonies, in a country building where grapes from the slopes of Etna were once made into wine.
About us
A country building turned restaurant
The palmento was the building where grapes were pressed and the must left to ferment. Here the original mechanism was never dismantled: the beam of the press still crosses the room, the demijohns remain under the lava stone arches and the masonry is the one of that time.
Around these rooms we laid out the dining room. The bedrooms are on the upper floor, while a second, larger hall takes the celebrations and the long family tables.
Charcoal-grilled meat
Black pork, lamb and grilled cuts, served with the side dish already included.
Rooms with exposed beams
On the upper floor, for those staying after dinner or using Zafferana as a base for visiting Etna.
Ceremony hall
Round tables, an exposed lava stone wall and a fireplace lit in the cold season.
In the kitchen
A menu built around the seasons
What we serve changes through the year and follows what is available. Autumn brings porcini mushrooms and Etna chestnuts, the cold months bring pulse soups, while the rest of the menu adapts to what the market offers.
Cured meats, cheeses and honey come from farms in the area: Zafferana Etnea has always been known for its honey, which accompanies our sharing boards.
Discover the kitchenThe menu
Some of our first courses
A selection of the most requested dishes. The full carte — starters, grilled meat, more than forty pizzas and desserts — is on the menu page.
Hospitality
Three types of room
Set on the upper floor of the building, for those who wish to stay after dinner or to visit the eastern slope of Etna.
Ceremonies
The hall for celebrations and anniversaries
Communions, confirmations, christenings and anniversaries are held in the largest hall of the building, which seats a considerable number of guests while keeping the round-table layout. In the cold season the fireplace stays lit for the whole reception.
The menu is decided together, according to the number of guests and the arrangement chosen. Guests coming from a distance can stay the night in the rooms upstairs.
Location
Between the volcano and the Ionian Sea
Zafferana Etnea lies on the eastern slope of Etna, among chestnut woods and vineyards, at about 600 metres above sea level. From the village you see the volcano on one side and the Ionian coast on the other.
From here you can reach Rifugio Sapienza and the Valle del Bove; Catania and Taormina are a little over half an hour away. The property is at Via Giacomo Matteotti 1/5, with ample parking in front.
Digital menu
Download the menu as a PDF
The same menu you find at the tables, to read on your phone. Download it from this page or by scanning the QR code. Leaving a contact to receive news about special evenings and menu changes is optional.
Scan the QR code
It opens the menu as a PDF.
The video
Inside the Palmento
A short sequence filmed in our rooms: the stone vaults, the laid tables and the dishes coming out of the kitchen. The button reopens it full screen.
Gallery
The rooms of the property
Lava stone, wood and the tools left from the time when the building was used for making wine.
We look forward to seeing you
A table, a room or a ceremony
For bookings and information you can reach us by telephone, by email and on WhatsApp.