Baglio Occhipinti

Wonderful from top to bottom. Comfortable, clean rooms, quiet. Food was absolutely delicious. The grounds are beautiful, the common areas are comfortable and welcoming. The staff was helpful, professional and friendly. Five stars all the way.

It’s a really beautiful place, the room was spacious and comfortable, great robes, bathroom, sitting area. The dining was excellent with very high quality foods and products, great service staff. A generous and delicious breakfast buffet. The Baglio itself boasts hectares of land but the hotel area isn’t very expansive. You can walk around the entire estate quite quickly. We closed the curtains to our room as there were other guests walking right by our window constantly. When we were having our picnic, we were quite close to the parking lot and guests were trotted by on their quick tour of the grounds. However, we were disappointed with the upcharges for a few of the experiences. For example, we did the cooking class to make ravioli and it was fairly expensive at 135€ each. It included one glass of wine offered and then you can “be part of our dinner at 8pm”. However, dinner is €65 per person, drinks not included. We were confused by the option to “join for dinner”. Usually, with a cooking class you can eat what you make. In the case of Baglio, we paid for dinner and were served as part of this the ravioli we had made in the cooking class, as one of the courses. For folks not part of the cooking class having dinner, they got another course served for the same cost. So essentially we paid to make the food, and then we paid again to eat it. It was strange. The second experience we opted for and regretted, was the picnic. This was advertised as a picnic either in the vineyard or the orange grove. For 100€ they laid out a blanket and multitude of pillows. The hostess arrived with a traditional picnic basket, but instead of picnic food inside, there were plates and menus. We were to order from the regular lunch menu. That was the picnic. So, instead of dining at a table in the dining room, we were paying extra to eat the same food on a blanket, in a bit more uncomfortable format. It was weird. It might have been the time of year but the place was inundated with flies that would not leave us alone. It made eating outside difficult, and we also weren’t able to sit by the pool for more than 15 minutes as they were very bothersome. All in all, a very nice place, but they need to work on their idea of luxury and elegance.

Quite a gem in a stark landscape tucked away in the countryside of Sicily. This part of Sicily is neither lush nor beautiful in the sense of Tuscany, but quite charming, especially on the grounds of Occhipinti, where there is an abundance of vineyards, herb and vegetable gardens and the famous Occhipinti winery nearby. After driving along dry roads with noticeable amounts of dumped trash (due to lack of regular public services), one pulls into the Occhipinti oasis. A lovely old baglio has been turned into a comfortable upscale hotel with clean swept modern rooms, a beautiful long pool, lovely landscaping and comfortable common rooms. While there are sites to see and places within driving distance for day trips, a stay at Occhipinti deserves at least a day on site to just relax and soak in the ambience. Breakfast is served in a beautiful room of former wine crushing vats and is beautifully displayed and varied with Italian cakes and pastries to local specialties. Eggs and bacon and delicious coffee drinks are included and can be ordered. The chef prepares an outstanding and varied lunch and dinner each day based on local ingredients. Never the same menu, one could eat lunch and dinner every day and keep enjoying inventive and superb cuisine. It’s possible to order fewer courses than the full menu, but hard to not try everything. The gardens and grounds are so pretty that eating outside at crisp white linen covered tables with candles and twinkling lights is a must at night. There is a sweet table for two near the kitchen and overlooking the pool that can be requested. As is the case in many places, there are loads of cats around – well fed and friendly, but be advised if you have allergies. The only bothersome thing was the multitude of flies that made it unpleasant to sit by the pool in the afternoon. Occhipinti has a sister winery which can be visited and the wines are excellent.

We visited this property for 3 nights, as soon as you arrive, you know you have happened upon something very special, it is a woman owned and operated property as well as winery! We toured winery, did a cooking class and ate most our meals there! The rooms were spacious and beautifully appointed, immaculate, with very comfortable beds. The services and kindness of the employees stay with you long after you depart! Rebecca, was one of the sweetest, and most attentive! I e mailed her from the states and called her several tomes, always a smile and a quick reply! Cooking class was incredible and very hands on, and we ate our raviolis with fresh tomato sauce as part of our dinner that night. I can only say, this is a very special place, beautiful to the eye, and good for the soul. It is a peaceful retreat, we were treated wonderfully, and many hugs upon our departure! Honestly, if you are in this area of Sicily, do not miss this little gem!!!

Baglio Occhipinti was a magical and very relaxing place - the building and setting are beautiful, all of the staff are so nice that you feel like you’re with family, the food is delicious and the wine list is amazing. I would also recommend doing a cooking class and visiting Arianna Occhipinti’s vineyard nearby, they were both major highlights of our Sicily trip. Thank you to everyone at Baglio Occhipinti for such a wonderful experience!

You will feel at home in this wine state, whether it’s cold in front of the fireplace or by the pool when it’s hot. The common areas are just beautiful, the living room is the dining area or the outside gardens full of corners to enjoy the aperitivo and watch the sunset. We had a suite simply beautiful. Maybe it misses some hooks to hang the bathrobes and towels and a mini fridge will be also very welcomed. The bathroom could be in a decoration magazine. Breakfast changed during our stay from a la carte to buffet and the latter was much better. The state focuses on wine as the family has two wineries and you can taste their fantastic natural wines. I will totally recommend a visit to those wineries. We had two dinners very nice food and service. The staff are very friendly and their knowledge of food, wine and the nature is impeccable.