ADLER Spa Resort Sicilia | Siculiana – Italy
Set on a panoramic plateau approximately 80 metres above sea level in the municipality of Siculiana (Agrigento), less than half a kilometre from its private beach and bordering the Torre Salsa Nature Reserve 760 hectares of wetlands, white cliffs and golden dunes protected by the WWF ADLER Spa Resort Sicilia is the first coastal property of the Sanoner family, a seventh-generation hospitality dynasty from South Tyrol. The location was discovered in 2008 by brothers Andreas and Klaus Sanoner, who in 2014 began collaborating with their longstanding partner architect Hugo Demetz to translate the vision into a project. The resort officially opened on 7 July 2022
The project signed by DemetzArch studio of Hugo Demetz with interior design contributions by his daughter Alessia Demetz, and built by Stancanelli Group springs from a non-negotiable Sanoner family principle: “the resort must blend into the landscape without altering its natural balance.” The response is a bio-architecture of rare coherence: predominantly single-storey buildings distributed across the entire site follow the sloping terrain, rendering themselves virtually invisible from the beach below. Green roofs planted with Mediterranean flora complete the landscape camouflage.
Materials are locally sourced and bio-compatible: raw Sicilian clay (for natural humidity control), opus signinum an ecological flooring of lime mortar and crushed brick dating back to Roman antiquity and volcanic tuff from Mount Etna for external cladding. Local cedar wood in sand hues lines walls and columns, enriched by coloured wood panels designed by Alessia Demetz evoking Sicilian majolica, the sea, sailing boats and the sun. Linear water channels flow through communal areas and the restaurant, drawing the eye outward toward the sea at the horizon. Eagle heads the ADLER brand symbol and dragon heads carved by Aster punctuate the clean architectural lines.
The 90 suites (Junior and Family, each at least 55 m²) are arranged in small clusters amid the gardens. The subterranean spa centre, carved into the clifftop, features 13 treatment rooms overlooking the sea. Four pools including a heated thalasso pool and an indoor-outdoor pool three Swedish saunas, a Turkish bath, Bio Sauna and panoramic sauna complete the wellness offer. Two restaurants (Sea View Restaurant and Osteria) serve farm-to-table cuisine with produce grown directly on the resort estate.
Year
2022 (opened 7 July 2022 / project started 2014)
Architecture Studio
DemetzArch – Hugo Demetz and Alessia Demetz
Construction
Stancanelli Group
Client
Sanoner Family (Andreas, Klaus, Franziska, Moritz, Lukas, Maximilian Sanoner)
