The Monastery Loft

The building was designed by well-known architect Rosario Gagliardi, who was responsible for a lot of beautiful buildings in Sicily. The owners are a real estate entrepreneur and an artist whose idea was to minimalise the concept and give the guests an essential experience. They wanted to go back to it as a sanctuary, when all you could see outside the windows were olive and almond trees.

The owners are passionate about art and history and deigned the interiors themselves. Their philosophy is to try to find beautiful spaces and repurpose them while incorporating their point of view. Locally, there is an ancient tradition of handcrafting, so they had all of the pieces custom-built using local materials and local experience.

Because the space is very big and they didn’t want to fill it with a lot of things, they designed all of the furniture to be oversized. In a photograph, it’s all proportional, so you don’t get the full idea. But it’s a nice impact when you step inside and realize how big it all is.

Staying at the loft is an overwhelming experience — it’s the most peaceful place in downtown Noto. The silence and the amazing light that enters all day long through the massive windows — it’s really something unexpected. It goes beyond just being a real estate piece. It gives you an amazing sense of well-being.