Luna del Raccolto Hotel

Hardly a stone’s throw from a historic washhouse in the town of Valderice, a 19^th-century country house and the fabled warmth of Sicilian hospitality come alive in a boutique hotel immersed in greenery and washed gently by water – an especially precious resource in these parts. The Luna del Raccolto hotel prides itself on embodying the true spirit of Sicily, rich in local flavors and brimming with the authenticity of the people from these parts. And this is also at the core of the design by architect Daniela Guarneri. The proposed solution builds a model of tourism that is as sustainable as it is innovative and technologically advanced, simultaneously protecting and enhancing the beauty of a garden embraced by fragrant orange blossoms in a location not far from the Zingaro reserve and the Stagnone salt pans, a little further south. The resort garden is, indeed, central to creating a typical island experience, a place where people can gather as they used to, spend time together and enjoy the gentle breeze, especially in the baking summer months.

Respecting the natural heritage takes the specific form of integrating nature into built areas through clever choices of systems and technologies for this green resort – as shown by the desire to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

To achieve such challenging goals, strict guidelines were adopted right throughout the renovation process to cut consumption while also improving the interior environmental quality. Marazzi’s porcelain stoneware slabs were one of the key choices in this, specifically the Mystone Silverstone collection in a gray hue that reinterprets sandstone. Three sizes were used: 60x60 cm for the indoor floors and bathrooms, 60x120 cm for the stairs, and 30x60 cm, in the extra thick version, for the outdoor floors, producing a color effect and texture that seems remarkably natural. The durable, high performance slabs are not only non-slip, but also have LEED, Greenguard and Declare certifications.

The desire to be a truly green resort takes many forms, including installing water flow reducers throughout the facility, using rainwater monitoring and collection systems, and favoring materials with a minimal CO₂ footprint.

The approach used in the construction of this building really makes this boutique hotel a pilot project for achieving international environmental standards, with the broader goal being to expand and apply the model to the design and construction of other venues and additional hospitality facilities.