Picolo recommends · Hotel in Taormina, Sicily
San Domenico Palace
Monks once walked the cloister here, and from the gardens below you look across the Ionian Sea to the smoking cone of Etna.
San Domenico Palace began life as a Dominican convent on the hillside of Taormina, and the old cloister is still at its heart. Today it is run by Four Seasons, and the gardens step down the slope towards the sea.
Many will recognise it from the second season of The White Lotus, which was filmed here. The centre of Taormina, with its Greek theatre and the Corso, is right on the doorstep.
Picolo’s verdict
Why we chose San Domenico Palace
We chose San Domenico Palace for the setting: a centuries-old building, a view that takes in Etna and the coast, and the whole of Taormina on foot. It is a hotel for a special trip.
Taormina is crowded in summer and prices here are high. The hotel sits up on the hill, so the beaches below mean a cable car or a drive rather than a stroll in your swimwear.
What you get
- Historic convent with a cloister
- Views of Etna and the Ionian Sea
- Terraced gardens
- Outdoor pool
- Restaurants and bar
A day at San Domenico Palace
- Morning
- Coffee in the cloister while Taormina is still asleep.
- Midday
- The Greek theatre before the cruise groups arrive.
- Afternoon
- Down by cable car to the bay at Mazzarò for a swim.
- Evening
- A drink on the terrace as Etna fades into the dusk.
Location
Taormina, Sicily, Italy
Open in MapsQuestions about San Domenico Palace
Was San Domenico Palace really a convent?
Yes. The building was a Dominican convent before it became a hotel, and the cloister and much of the old structure remain.
Was The White Lotus filmed at San Domenico Palace?
Yes, the hotel was the main location for the second season of the series, which has made it one of the best-known hotels in Sicily.
Can you see Etna from San Domenico Palace?
Yes, on clear days the gardens and many rooms look across the sea to Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano.
Other hotels nearby
Updated 6 Nov 2026All articles
How Picolo chooses
Our editors pick every hotel themselves, and most of them we have stayed at. No hotel can pay to be included or ranked higher. When you book through our links, Hotels.com pays Picolo a small commission. It never changes the price you pay, and it never decides what we write.
