Borgo Pantano Siracusa

A prestigious hotel 4 stars Superior that is just 7 Km far from the inner city and the main beaches. Here you can enjoy the countryside, the sea and the art in the beautiful location of the « Ciane and Saline » reserve surrounded by nature. The Borgo Pantano hotel rises up on an old manor farm built in 1861.

The original farm land, full of orange groves, lemon and olive trees, has been totally restored in 2009. The land owners took care of the restoration project personally in order to maintain the Borgo Pantano authenticity. Combining design and tradition, with different styles and handmade furniture, Borgo Pantano can count on beautiful and comfortable spaces surrounded by a Mediterranean garden.

The rooms seem to be created to feel like home and you can relax, have a rest and feel good everywhere. The rooms and the garden seem to tell about past and future tales. Borgo Pantano hotel is a perfect starting point to lose yourself in the land of Archimede, Polifemo and Giovanni Verga and to enjoy the natural landscapes and the local tastes.

A territory that offers to its guests different kinds of attractions and panoramas such as rich churches and buildings adorned with “grotesque masks” and acanthus leaves and also precious ceramics and elegant shrines. The mythological landscapes perfectly blend with pure beaches, seas and lava panoramas.

THE HISTORY
It is the story of my family and its origins related to this land. My mother, Donatella, who loved nature and animals, chose a beautiful and peaceful area called Cozzo Pantano to take care of the abandoned dogs.

Day by day, this manor farm became for us a perfect shelter to relax and to get in touch with nature. In 2005, we decided to recover the whole area, ruins included, and we have done it with passion, step by step, paying close attention to maintain its main essence. In 2010, after 4 years of work Hotel Borgo Pantano opened.

The 4 stars superior hotel, maintains the bucolic charm of the south eastern Sicily and it well blends design, art and comfort. Each room has a different and unique style thanks to the furniture manufactured by the local artisans.

The new wing of the hotel is based on two contrasting styles: the minimal design and the Sicilian local art. Since 2010, we have been hosting families and couples from all over the world and it is a pleasure for us to take care of them and to satisfy their wishes.

ROOMS & SUITES
To illustrious poets and writers who have marked the history of Sicily are entitled to our rooms. All our rooms have different colors and styles of each other, thanks to unique furnishings and accessories. In the rooms, hotel environments, alternate hand-crafted furniture made by local artists, fine antiques and exquisite contemporary design objects.

UNIQUE SUITE
The room Unique Suite, covering two floors, will amaze you with its furniture design and its comforts. On the first floor there is a beautiful terrace with a sitting room and a view of the court yard. The living area, with armchairs and sofas, has a spectacular stairway going to the night zone and the bathroom where you can enjoy a romantic whirlpool bath.

The room Unique suite is also equipped with two 45’’ LCD, tea pot with instant coffee, tea facilities and infusions, bio-amenities, double pillows, soft memory foam mattress or firm spring mattress, bath rope and slippers. The Unique suite can host up to five people.

FAMILY SUITE
The rooms Family Suite seems to be a mini-flat thanks to its wide and well refined space to enjoy the privacy and the best comfort. It is made up of a bedroom combined with the living area, a bedroom with two single beds and a walk-in wardrobe.

The rooms Family Suite is equipped with two TV, Complimentary toiletries for children, bio-amenities, tea pot with instant coffee, tea facilities and infusions, double pillows, soft memory foam mattress or firm spring mattress, bath rope and slippers. The Family suite can host up to five people.

JUNIOR SUITE
The rooms Junior Suite, wide and well refined, is the ideal to enjoy the best comfort. Each room is characterized by the old and the new decorative styles, in fact, the minimal design combines well with the furniture manufactured by the local artisans and the recycled ones.

The rooms Junior Suite is made up of a living room and a bedroom. They are all equipped with bio-amenities, teapot with instant coffee, tea and infusions facilities, two big TV, double pillows, soft memory mattress or firm spring mattress, bath ropes and sleepers.

COMFORT ROOM
The rooms Comfort are romantic and bright, it seems like each one of them has its own personality, they will amaze you. The furnitureis manufactured by local artisans who realized, for example, the rock headboards with stones from the river and the canopies are made up with recycled wood.

The rooms Comfort are painted with warm and Mediterranean colours and they are equipped with bio-amenities, tea pot and infusions facilities, double pillows, soft memory foam mattress or firm spring mattress. They can host up to two people, third bed on demand.

DINING
The Hotel Borgo Pantano, pays a lot of attention to the catering service. Taste smells and colors of our land and sea.The catch of the day and the local mountain meats create a unique mix that evocates ancient flavors. We offer a plain and refined menu made up of local wines and produtcs that will let you live, more than a great holiday, an eno-gastronomic tour of Sicily too.

RESTAURANT LUIGI CAPUANA & LA TERRAZZA
The Luigi Capuana restaurant is cosy and comfortable and there you can enjoy several local and ancient tastes. From the Terrazza you can enjoy a beautiful view of the landscape while eating an abundant breakfast or having a romantic dinner.

We pay attention to the breakfast and we offer to our guests a sweet and salty buffet made up of a wide range of cheese and cold cuts, homemade cakes, Sicilian orange juices and fresh fruits. During summer, we use to organize poolside meals and delicious barbecues in the garden.

The peacefulness and the privacy of the guests of Borgo Pantano is guaranteed by the inability to access all areas of the hotel including restaurant, to those who are not staying in the hotel. It is possible, when booking the room, buy the half board at a price. Always available for children on their menu. Available on request food for Food Intolerances and Gluten free.

RESTAURANT GARDEN GRILL
In the shade of a gazebo and olive trees, the Garden Grill is just a few steps from the scenic pool. An informal setting for a lunch with a menu that ranges from traditional Mediterranean dishes, grilled meats, fish and vegetables cooked on the barbecue. Also a light lunch salads and sandwiches.

POOL BAR
Poolside dining, point the Chiringuito Bar offers coffee, Cappuccino, cocktails, soft drinks, ice cream, milk shakes, slushies, centrifuges. In the closing hours of the restaurants you can also ask for Toast and salty snacks. Unmissable sunset Happy Hour

AMERICAN BAR
Located in the Hall, it is the meeting point for all Borgo Pantano guests. Don’t miss a drink before having dinner or the last glasses before going to sleep, it’s 24 hours a day.

WELLNESS & TREATMENTS 
An intimate and cosy ambience, exclusively reserved, ideal for those who want maximum privacy and relaxation. In the wellness area there is a circular whirlpool bath, a modern and spacious Finnish sauna, a special and original Turkish bath with chromotherapy, and two massage cabins.

Promotional wellness packages are always available for those who so desire and can be viewed on the “Offers and Packages” page. To give force to the body and calm the mind, the Hotel Borgo Pantano has thought of different types of massage and treatments that can meet the needs and desires of each guest.

SENSORY WELLNESS PATH
Finnish sauna, Turkish bath with tropical shower with chromotherapy, aromatherapy, wellness mist, whirlpool with music and colour therapy, relaxation corner with herbal tea. Includes use of bathrobe, towel, disposable slippers.

THE SWIMMING POOL
The Great swimming pool is one of the main attractions of our hotel. It has a particular entry with a sort of « beach effect » that assures a slow and soft access. The orange grove makes the pool even more suggestive thanks to the oranges and lemons smell.

Hammocks and sunbeds decorate the garden together with outdoor armchairs and towels to have a pic-nic or to relax. A full range of colours, such as the white of the furniture, the clear blue of the pool and the verdant of the flora, gives a sense of peace and harmony.

THE BIO SWIMMING POOL
An exceptional attraction is certainly the suggestive relaxation area with Bio-swimming pool. The bio-swimming pool with whirlpool seats, 8 meter large and 12 meter long, it’s unique in its style thanks to the comfortable sunbeds and the umbrellas that decorate the new relax area. It uses a natural filtering system with no chlorine or solvents so you can enjoy a bath in a pure, warmed up and salt water surrounded by the natural landscape.

ROUTES, SURROUNDINGS & BEACHES
What see? Itineraries, surroundings and beaches that you can visit a few km from the Hotel Borgo Pantano. South Eastern Sicily offers numerous tourists from all over the world the opportunity to see and visit places with truly unique beauties, both from a landscape and a historical and cultural point of view.

An exciting journey through the suggestive ruins of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, passing through palaces, squares, churches, monuments and other architectural beauties made in Baroque style. It is really easy to be impressed by the naturalistic landscapes and the wide beaches, bathed by clear and crystalline waters, of our South Eastern Sicily.

Just 8 minutes from the hotel you can visit the historic center of Syracuse which, is the fourth largest city in Sicily defined by Cicero “the largest and most beautiful of all Greek cities”. One of the first stages is certainly its archaeological area. It contains wonders such as the famous Greek amphitheater and all the other historical finds from the ancient Greek polis.

Another stop is the renovated historic center, located on the island of Ortigia with the baroque architecture of Piazza Duomo, the restored waterfront and finally with the famous source Aretusa.

SIRACUSA
Syracuse is the fourth largest city in Sicily described by Cicero as “the largest and most beautiful of all Greek cities”, from 2005, along with the ancient center of Syracuse, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The city of Syracuse is developed in part on the cape-Ortigia island and partly on land. The shape of the coastline determines the wide bay of Porto Grande, the Island city north and south from the promontory of Plemmirio.

To the eighth century. B.C. They arrived in Syracuse the first Greeks from Corinth, who led by noble greek Archie, founded a colony Syrakousai that quickly grew much, developing a real city, so wide that many historians defined metropolis, and some called it even the First Empire of the West.

Syracuse became the Hellenic culture, arose the temples dedicated to Apollo, Zeus, Athena (later transformed in today’s Cathedral of Syracuse); born myths and legends that spoke of the Greek gods, nymphs and mortal heroes.

MYTH OF ARETHUSA
Does the myth of Arethusa, the history of the Greek era that has remained so linked to Syracuse, that even today the expression “aretusea” is used to talk and define the “city of Syracuse”. Definitely worth visiting is the archaeological area where you can admire the famous greek amphitheater and other historical artifacts from the ancient Greek polis.

Other interesting places to see in the city of Syracuse are: the archaeological museum Paolo Orsi, the Catacombs of San Giovanni, the catacombs of Saint Lucia, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tears and the caves of the Capuchins.

ORTIGIA
Ortigia (The Ottiggia ou Scogghiu in Syracuse, Ortygia, Ὀρτυγία in ancient greek) is the name of the island which is the oldest part of the city of Syracuse. Its name derives from the ancient greek ortyx (ὄρτυξ) meaning “quail”.

The island has always been the heart of the city, witness the fact that since the age of ancient bronze was inhabited, and also testify remains of circular huts of the XIV century BC referable to the culture of Thapsos.

The subsequent arrival of the Greeks had not be violent, because as Thucydides speaks, seems to have been abandoned by residents who retreated inland. In the heart of Ortigia is the Duomo, with baroque facade, built incorporating the greek temple of Athena as described.

NATURAL RESERVE & SALINE OF SIRACUSA 
Distance from the Hotel Borgo Pantano: 1.8 km (2 minutes). Among the naturalistic itineraries recommended by the Hotel Borgo Pantano the natural reserve of Ciane river and the Saline of Syracuse are certainly the closest destinations to our structure, therefore to be easily reached (the source of the Ciane river is 2 minutes from the Hotel Borgo Pantano).

The excursion includes at least a 2 hour walk along paths surrounded by dense vegetation rich in scents and colors. The nature reserve of the Ciane river was created to protect the papyrus that grows along the course of the Ciane river.

You can then take a beautiful walk or bike ride (within the reserve there is a cycle-pedestrian path of about 12 km), through the papyrus plants, from the source to the mouth of the Ciane river, where you can see the Saline of Syracuse (the mouth of the Ciane river with the Saline of Syracuse is 9 km from the Hotel Borgo Pantano).

The name Ciane derives from the Greek cyanos, κυανός, which means “blue-green”, and recalls the particular color of the waters and papyrus of these areas. The Saline, located close to the city of Syracuse, include a marshy, flat environment, sometimes slightly lower than the sea level, ideal for salt extraction.

The Saline were an economic resource of certain interest since the seventeenth century; they remained in business until the 1980s and were later abandoned due to the crisis in the sector.

Currently, migratory birds come here twice a year to refresh themselves and stop. However, better management of the site, and extraordinary maintenance of the banks of the Ciane river, as well as the recovery of the Saline di Siracusa have been called for years.

There are several projects in the pipeline that have so far not seen the realization. Regardless of this, we strongly advise you not to miss, during your holiday at our Hotel Borgo Pantano, the opportunity to see this beautiful natural oasis.

NATURE RESERVE CAVAGRANDE OF CASSIBILE
Distance from Hotel Borgo Pantano: 35 km (28 minutes). The Natural Reserve Cavagrande of Cassibile is between the towns of Avola, Noto and Siracusa in the south east of Sicily. It was established in 1990 (DA 13 July), managed by the Forestry Authority of the Sicilian Region and included in the National Park Iblei.

Natural Reserve Cavagrande of Cassibile is born with the aim to preserve the diverse wealth of its territory from the point of view of nature and landscape, both from the archaeological and anthropological. The plateau of Cavagrande assumes spectacular aspects of the presence of deep fractures, called “cave”, which line the edges.

It is produced by erosion of the canyon streams still run on their background, looking at times superb as is the case of Cavagrande of Cassibile, one of the most majestic and impressive, now protected as a nature reserve, it was in Paleolithic era headquarters of inhabited settlements.

On the walls were eight thousand tombs excavated rock-type cave, dating from the tenth and ninth centuries BC. The Natural Reserve Cavagrande of Cassibile involves an area wide 2,760 hectares.

The protected area encompasses a stretch along approximately 10 km, from the river of the river Cassibile, one of the most important rivers of South-Eastern Europe, which, incassandosi strongly among the rocks of ibleo, generates a deep canyon in some It stretches over 250 meters, from the steep walls thickly vegetated.

In the valley, it has formed a system of small waterfalls and ponds (locally called “uruvi”) sources of cool summer, with its many visitors which are accessed by an ancient impressive staircase known as La Scala Cruci.

What makes spectacular caves due to the sliding of the rivers, is the morphology of the great canyon of Cavagrande of Cassibile, the Kakyparis Greeks. On the north side you can see a small cluster of cave dwellings. In the south there is a complex system of houses built in the rock, arranged side by side on six different parallel levels, connected by a system of tunnels and galleries.

As the edge of the reserve, north-east, there are several ancient necropolis, in which they found rich grave goods and ceramics: its unique decoration, that feathered or marbled, is part of this culture in the Aeolian Islands and Ausonia in eastern Sicily around 1000 BC

NATURAL RESERVE OF PANTALICA & VALLEY OF ANAPO
Distance from Hotel Borgo Pantano: 32 km (40 min). The Natural Reserve of Pantalica and Valley of Anapo, or better, the necropolis rupestrian of Pantalica, is a natural and archaeological places of the province of Syracuse, located on a plateau surrounded by canyons formed over millennia by two rivers, the Anapo and Calcinara, which determined the topography in canyons characteristic of the area.

The plateau as well as the valleys below (defined Valley of Anapo) are important natural areas. In the Giarranauti is a large wood at the top of the plateau Pantalica. This area as well as being suggestive of the presence of a forest is also rich in the past, especially in the Byzantine period.

Following the trails in the park are the remains of a Byzantine village (we are talking of the sixth to eighth centuries AD), the tanneries and mills carved into the rock.

The valley of Anapo is accessible from two gates connected to each other, from the side of Sortino and from the side of Ferla, as well as the so-called Sella Filiporto. The area of ​​Pantalica falls between the Oriented Natural Reserve of Pantalica and Valley of Anapo and Cava Grande Creek.

In 2005 the site was awarded, along with the city of Syracuse, as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for the high-profile historical, archaeological, caving and landscape.

You can travel across most of the Oriented Natural Reserve of Pantalica and Valley of Anapo, safely, through various nature trails that follow the river Anapo, where you can admire the fascinating archaeological finds (cemetery with 5,000 tombs carved into the rock) surrounded by pristine nature where the fauna and flora reserve you many pleasant surprises.

The Oriented Natural Reserve of Pantalica and Valley of Anapo is dotted with cemeteries across its vast territory: necropolis Filiporto composed of a thousand tombs that extend on the slopes and in the valley of Anapo, belonging to the last phase of the city.

The necropolis of North-West, one of the oldest in the area and the necropolis of Cavetta the IX-VIII century BC with the presence of Byzantine houses, ending with the North necropolis, the largest and most dense (dating back to the XI-XII century BC).

The acropolis of Pantalica, however, is in one of the highest points of the area in a position where you can admire the view of the quarries. From that point it was easy to control the possible arrival of enemies, here it was built the “palace of the prince” or Anaktoron, unique stone building remained era.

NATURAL RESERVE OF VENDICARI
Distance from the Hotel Borgo Pantano: 46.2 km (about 42 min). The natural reserve of Vendicari was established in 1984 by the Sicilian Region. It is located exactly between Noto and Pachino (Syracuse Province) with an area that covers approximately 1,512 hectares.

Within the natural reserve of Vendicari, undisturbed lives an entire ecosystem. Often you’ll find yourself in front of breathtaking landscapes, dense vegetation that suddenly opens to a sea, to long beaches and gold, which in a few hundred meters become overhanging rocks of a deep sea.

By observation huts distributed in some specific points of the natural reserve of Vendicari, you can see flamingos, herons, storks, who stop here before reaching the final destination of migration.

To the south of Noto Marina, not far from the beach Marianelli, there are some quarries (stone quarries) of the fifth century BC used in the ancient Greek city of Eloro to the construction of temples and monuments. While, not far from the Tower Sveva, by the sea, there are tanks for tuna processing, next to which was also discovered a small cemetery.

Always inside of the natural reserve of Vendicari it is also visible a stretch of Via Elorina, the road linking the colony of Eloro and Syracuse. The complex of Byzantine is located in the south of Vendicari, called today “Cittadella dei Maccari”.

In this site you can admire the Trigona: Cuba a Byzantine, who like all the churches of the time, has a square layout with three apses, a dome top and an opening to the east so that, as a tradition, the light of full moon entered the building beginning the holy Easter.

A Short distance from the Byzantine Cuba there are several catacombs dating from the same period and some remains of houses, a sign of a densely populated area. The most beautiful and visited construction of the natural reserve of Vendicari remains La Torre Sveva, probably built by Peter of Aragon, Count of Alburquerque and Duke of Noto (1406-1438).

This fortification was necessary to report and repel the attacks of the Saracens and Barbary pirates, who, with their continuous raids systematically looted villages and countryside of the island. Over the centuries the structure was reinforced and rebuilt, until it assumed its present shape. The Torre Sveva was used until the nineteenth century, the invention of the telegraph year that made these obsolete defense systems.

Newly built, but no less fascinating, is the Tonnara of Vendicari: Bafutu also called, it was built in the eighteenth century after the great increase in Sicily had had in the granting of traps. The activities of tuna was facilitated by the presence of salt, the first dating back already in the Greek era.

Alternating between flourishing periods of closure, the tuna was completely renovated in 1914, thanks to the financial support of Anthony Modica Munafò, noble of Avola. In 1943, after the Allied landing, even for insufficient economic performance of trade of tuna, the tuna has permanently ceased its activities. Today it remains a fascinating and unique testimony of the traditional Sicilian fishing and tuna processing.

Rooms: 25

Price: from 146 EUR per night

Source: www.borgopantano.it