Susafa

Susafa is about 60 km south of the city of Cefalù on the Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily. Perched high near the town of Polizzi Generosa, at 917 m above sea level, it is in the heart of a nature reserve of outstanding beauty, the Madonie Regional Natural Park, between prehistoric rocks and peaks, ancient hermitages and monasteries, in an ecosystem made up of a wide variety of flora and fauna. The park has innumerable routes to take on foot or explore on horseback; trekking trails and canoeing trips along the Pollina River in summer provide some of the best views of its breathtaking scenery.

This natural paradise, where Susafa and Polizzi Generosa are immersed, changes colours with the seasons, the hill slopes dressed in green and then in gold when the wheat crops ripen in the summer sun; here one gets to know the rich country life of the area, shaped by the landscape and the rhythms of time. The owner, Manfredi , is descendant of the Saeli-Rizzuto family who have farmed and lived here for five generations. In the old days, the farm hands and their families were accommodated in the late 18th-century farmhouse; the farm produce was stored and manufactured in huge store rooms, and the animals were housed in sheds. These and the other ancient agricultural buildings enclosed by high protective walls all date back to the late 1700s. A large community lived on the farm, and the pictures hanging on the walls of the farmhouse today illustrate the story of the Saeli-Rizzuto family and bear witness to the lives and work, often backbreaking labour, of the farm hands; they also help create a warm and friendly atmosphere in the house. Susafa, in the Madonie Park, protects biodiversity, forbidding the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Furthermore, it has been engaged in an environmental sustainability project for years,through eco-sustainable and low-impact choices

Space is abundant at Susafa, with seventeen accomodations, ten rooms and seven suites.They are built in the old labourers’ dwellings, which have been masterfully restored and provided with the best comforts, without abandoning the building traditions of this corner of Sicily set deep in the Madonie Park: wood ceilings with trusses, precious terracotta floors and plastered walls, enamelled terracotta friezes and exposed stone adorn these handsome interiors in the Sicilian style.
In the old “palmento”, where grapes were pressed to make wine, a hospitable wine bar with exposed stone walls has been created.The granary has been converted into a comfortable but stunning restaurant, with pointed arches, Sicilian terracotta tiles, and a huge fireplace. It serves fresh dishes prepared with products grown on the farm or produced locally, and dressed with the organic oil of Susafa. The unique spectacle of the Sicilian landscape spreads out in front of the panoramic terrace, and after a swim in the outdoor pool guests will emerge refreshed and will be tempted to lie out on the deckchairs placed around its perimeter and drink in the scenery.