San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel

San Domenico Palace occupies a 14th-century Dominican convent on a promontory above the Ionian Sea, with Mount Etna and Taormina's ancient Greek theatre in view. It became a grand hotel in 1896, when a Liberty-style wing was added, and drew Oscar Wilde, D.H. Lawrence, Truman Capote and Audrey Hepburn before reopening as a Four Seasons in 2021; the second series of The White Lotus was filmed here. The cloisters and the Italian gardens by Marco Bay keep the calm of the convent, while rooms and suites pair original cornices and arched windows with contemporary interiors, and 19 have private plunge pools. The Royal Suite, on the top floor, looks over the sea and the theatre from a terrace with its own pool. Chef Massimo Mantarro holds a Michelin star at Principe Cerami, where the menu follows Sicilian produce from the coast to the slopes of Etna, and Anciovi serves seafood beside the clifftop infinity pool. The Botanica Spa completes the picture. In September 2026 the hotel entered The World's 50 Best Hotels list at number 50.