Valle Himara

Valle Himara is a charming, family-run inn located in a bucolic setting about an hour’s drive outside of Palermo. The nearby little town of Piana degli Albanesi is known for inventing the cannolo, but there is little to do there. So Valle Himara offers a relaxing, resort type atmosphere, and a great venue for events such as weddings, anniversaries, first communions, and baptisms, the latter three of which were celebrated during our 2 night stay. Our air-conditioned room was fairly basic, but comfortable. There is a resort-sized pool, and a wellness spa where I received a great massage from Francesca. Originally an equestrian school on the site, the hotel continues to provide horseback riding facilities. There is a free, huge parking area for large gatherings. Wifi is free and connects well. The food here is extraordinary, and incredibly reasonable. Our pre-fixe dinner for two, including a bottle of wine, as part of our half board, added €30 (about $35) to our room rate per night. Their antipasti with charcuterie, cheese, olives, caponata, grilled vegetables, and sun-dried tomatoes can practically feed a family of 10. The pastas, paccheri with boar cooked in wine on the first night, and spaghetti with beef ragu the second night were both outstanding. We could only eat half of the saltimbocca on the first night and on the second night, we passed on the secondi. There was just too much food. My husband wanted to visit Piana since his maternal family emigrated from here to the States. Thank you Cettina and Serena for making our stay so enjoyable.