Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina

High on a hillside above Taormina, just below the Greek Theatre, stands the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo, an opulent neoclassical symbol of the Sicilian aristocracy since 1873, playing host to the likes of Oscar Wilde, DH Lawrence, Guy de Maupassant and the Kaiser Wilhelm II — all, no doubt, taken in by the sublime views of Mount Etna and the sea, as well as the Sicilian Baroque trimmings of the Timeo’s magnificent interiors.

Today’s traveler, though, cares little about whether Oscar Wilde lunched here; what’s important is the immediate sensory impression. If the Timeo was fading at the end of the last century, a thorough renovation put things right, restoring the splendor of the public spaces, adding a modern pool and fitness center, and bringing the guest rooms up to the standards of contemporary luxury.

Guest rooms come packed with antique furnishings and period artworks, but the main event is outside — each room has its own private balcony or terrace, with a panoramic view of the hotel’s stunning surroundings. The restaurant, Il Dito e la Luna, serves a refined Sicilian cuisine with a breathtaking view, and the “literary terrace” is the ideal spot for a moment’s reflection, perhaps sharpening your Wildean wit overlooking the city and the sea.