"Essence" Retreat: 3 nights with unique experiences at Casa Etnella close to the Etna

Stay at Casa Etnella on the slopes of Mount Etna, surrounded by vineyards, olive trees and the agricultural landscape that shapes the wines of this family-run estate. Created by Davide Bentivegna and developed together with Carla Romano, Casa Etnella brings wine, farming, seasonal Sicilian cooking and hospitality into the same experience.

Wine is the thread running through the stay. Etnella works with vineyards across different Etna contrade and altitudes, focusing particularly on native varieties such as Nerello Mascalese and Carricante. The wines are made with a low intervention approach, including spontaneous fermentations with indigenous yeasts, to preserve the identity of each vineyard and its volcanic soils.

Your welcome to Casa Etnella includes a tasting run by Carla or Davide of 3 Etnella wines, accompanied by the estate’s extra virgin olive oil, bread and small bites. It is an informal first introduction to the property and to the different expressions of wine produced on Etna. The selection can introduce different sides of the estate, from a white wine based on Carricante, fresh and savoury in style, to a red based on Nerello Mascalese, shaped by the volcanic soils and altitude, and a third wine chosen from the current Etnella range.

Part of the stay is deliberately left free, giving you time to shape your own experience of the volcano. From Casa Etnella you can spend the day exploring Mount Etna, visit other wineries and wine villages, walk through the volcanic landscape, or head towards the eastern Sicilian coast. This free time can also be enriched with additional tastings, restaurants or excursions according to your interests.

A second experience is dedicated entirely to Casa Etnella and its agricultural world. You walk through the property and botanical garden, among vines, olive trees, fruit trees, herbs and Mediterranean vegetation, while learning about the landscape, the vineyards and the farming philosophy behind the estate.

The visit includes a guided tasting of 4 Etnella wines, selected to show different expressions of the producer’s volcanic vineyards. Rather than presenting Etna as a single style, the tasting introduces how grape variety, altitude and individual contrada can give each wine its own identity.

One of the defining moments of the stay is Carla’s seasonal 4-course dinner. Carla, an agronomist who later trained professionally as a chef, creates the menu around the season and ingredients connected with Sicily and the estate. The courses are served with Etnella wines, while the producers are present to share the story behind the bottles, the vineyards and the choices made in the cellar.

The result is a stay where wine is not confined to a single tasting: it accompanies your arrival, your exploration of the property and the table, giving you several ways to understand the landscape of Etna through the people who farm, make wine and cook here.