Famed Sicilian palace to transform into luxury hotel 

Image © Rocco Forte
Rocco Forte Hotels is expanding into the Baroque Valley with its third Sicilian hotel, an in-depth reimagining of one of the region’s most stately palaces.

Baroque re-imagined

The hotel will be in the historic town of Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage Town known for its extensive baroque architecture. 

Scheduled for 2026, the hotel will transform the Palazzo Castelluccio into a 31-room residence comprising 50,000 square feet of meticulously restored 18th-Century architecture.

Palazzo Castelluccio is one of the largest residences in Val di Noto, built in 1782. It first opened to the public in 2018, and has become known for its extensive garden and luxurious interiors. 

Palazzo Castelluccio will join two existing Rocco Forte properties in Sicily, Villa Igiea (Palermo) and Verdura Resort (Sciacca). 

The Palazzo Castelluccio hotel will feature a restaurant, bar, garden lounge, meeting and events space, spa and gym. Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen will be joining forces with Olga Polizzi, Rocco Forte’s design director, for the hotel’s interior design. 

Expansion plans for Rocco Forte

With four new openings planned in the next three years, (Milan, Sardinia, Sicily and Naples), expansion is top of the agenda for Rocco Forte Hotels. 

Rocco Forte Hotels is a family-run hotel group based in Italy, established by Sir Rocco Forte and his sister Olga Polizzi in 1996. Currently, the group is comprised of 15 individual hotels, resorts, residences and villas. 

All Rocco Forte hotels occupy landmark buildings, including The Charles Hotel in Munich and the Hotel de Rome in Berlin. 

Upcoming openings include The Carlton, Milan in 2025; Costa Smeralda, Sardinia in 2026; Palazzo Sirignano, Naples in 2027.

Please note: Information regarding project details—including but not limited to opening dates, room counts, and branding—for hotels under development can change as projects progress. The information in this article reflects the most accurate details available at the time of writing and may not be updated afterward.

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