Casale degli Zappini

The Pennisi family business started in this butcher’s shop, which over time has expanded to include a restaurant serving excellent cuisine to guests who sit at small tables facing a counter where a fine selection of meat, salumi and cheeses is displayed. The menu features grilled meat options alongside filled rolls and hamburgers, as well as delicious cooked dishes that are both generous and substantial. We suggest asking staff for recommendations, as we did – we were not disappointed!

Situated just outside Randazzo, one of the villages with typical lava-stone buildings dotted around Mt Etna, this restaurant serves excellent local cuisine. Recipes featuring mushrooms and meat take pride of place on the menu, from antipasti such as the excellent mixed mushrooms to first courses of mushroom soup and mains that include a highly recommended “asado” (mixed grill) and an unmissable Nero dei Nebrodi capocollo ham.

The scenery that you drive through to get to this restaurant on the slopes of Mt Etna is as breathtaking and impressive as the charming luxury Villa Neri hotel in which it is housed. In the modern dining room, the chef serves personalised cuisine with a focus on Sicilian ingredients, resulting in occasionally complex dishes (meat and fish) which are showcased on his tasting menus. Guests can also choose dishes à la carte style, while the wine list includes an excellent and highly recommended selection of local Etna labels, including the property’s own wine (they also produce their own extra-vi