# Shalai, hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant in Linguaglossa

Small hotel en Etna · Etna

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/where-to-stay/shalai · Revisado: 2026-11-12

- Qué tiene: Linguaglossa, northeast slope · 13 rooms and suites · Spa and Michelin-starred restaurant

19th-century palace in the centre of Linguaglossa with 13 rooms, a private spa and chef Giovanni Santoro's Michelin-starred restaurant.

Shalai is a small hotel inside a former 19th-century stately residence, in the centre of Linguaglossa, the village on Etna's northeast slope from which the road to Piano Provenzana climbs. It has 13 rooms and suites, an intimate spa and the restaurant of chef Giovanni Santoro, born in the village, who won the Michelin star in 2015 and keeps it in the 2025 guide. It is the bed for those who come to Etna also to eat and drink well: the wineries of Castiglione di Sicilia and Passopisciaro are a quarter of an hour away.
The house and the rooms
The building belongs to the Pennisi family, who commissioned the renovation from the architects Lucia Papa and Paola Mariotto. It preserves the original 19th-century tiles in the bar corner and, upstairs, a lounge with frescoed vaults. The same painted vaults cover the two junior suites: one with a private terrace, of 18 m², and another with a balcony, both for three people at most.
The rest are rooms of simple lines, white and bright: a Deluxe with a shared small terrace for three, a Superior with a balcony, two under the roof (a double and a Family Executive for four), an 18 m² twin or double, a 16 m² double for single use and a 14 m² single with a balcony. All have a scent of their own, of orange, which the hotel has created for its spaces.
The spa and the restaurant
To reach the spa you cross a small inner garden. The circuit lasts an hour and includes a sauna, Turkish bath and a hydromassage tub with salt water instead of chlorine, with a herbal tea at the end. It opens by reservation from 9:30 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 19:30, and the website says it is now for the exclusive use of whoever books. There are body and face treatments with Comfort Zone products.
The restaurant alternates fish from nearby markets and meat from local farms selected by the chef's family butcher's, with some vegetable-only dishes. The Michelin Guide mentions four tasting menus and an à la carte menu; the best-known dessert is Lumìa, made with lemon. The cellar is in the premises next to the hotel and the lounge bar serves sweet wines and spirits. The website does not publish the restaurant's hours or prices: book a table on its online system or by phone.
Getting there and what is nearby
From Catania airport it is 58 km: A18 motorway towards Messina, Fiumefreddo exit and the 120 road towards Randazzo as far as Linguaglossa. The hotel reckons 40 minutes to Catania, 20 to Randazzo and 25 to Taormina and to Etna North. With prior reservation it arranges transfers. The website does not mention private parking.
From here you have the tastings at the north-slope wineries and the Linguaglossa station of the Circumetnea train to hand. For the cable car or the summit craters with a guide, which leave from the south slope, allow more than an hour by car.

## Practical details

- Address: Via Guglielmo Marconi, 25, 95015 Linguaglossa, CT
- Phone: +39 095 643128
- Email: resort@shalai.it
- Rooms: 13
- Facilities: Spa, Sauna, Hot tub, Restaurant, Bar, Garden
- Details checked on 12 November 2026.

## Cómo llegar y contacto

- Web: https://www.shalai.it/
- Coordenadas: 37.8435, 15.142

## Cerca de aquí

- [Cave Ox, restaurant, pizzeria and wine cellar in Solicchiata](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/where-to-eat/cave-ox), a 6.6 km
- [Winery tastings on the northern slope, in Castiglione di Sicilia](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/things-to-do/etna-north-slope-wineries), a 7.9 km
- [Case Perrotta restaurant, Etna farm-stay cooking in Sant'Alfio](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/where-to-eat/case-perrotta), a 11.2 km
- [Case Perrotta, organic farm stay in Sant'Alfio, on Etna's east slope](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/where-to-stay/case-perrotta), a 11.2 km
- [Ristorante Veneziano, mushroom and black pork cooking in Randazzo](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/where-to-eat/ristorante-veneziano), a 15.3 km
- [Guided trek into the Valle del Bove](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/things-to-do/valle-del-bove-trek), a 15.5 km
- [Etna summit craters with a volcanology guide](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/things-to-do/etna-summit-craters-guided), a 16.5 km
- [Circumetnea train around the volcano](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna/things-to-do/circumetnea-railway), a 17.3 km

## Consejos

### Book the spa with the room
It is small and runs in slots by reservation: ask for a time when you book.

### Book a table at the same time
The restaurant has a star and few tables; secure dinner before you arrive.

### Sleep here for the north slope
If your plan is wineries and villages, Linguaglossa saves you the back and forth from Catania.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many rooms does it have?
Thirteen, between rooms and suites. The two junior suites have vaulted ceilings with 19th-century frescoes.

### Does the restaurant have a Michelin star?
Yes. Chef Giovanni Santoro won it in 2015 and Shalai appears with a star in the 2025 guide.

### Is there a spa?
Yes, with a sauna, Turkish bath and salt-water hydromassage, by reservation from 9:30 to 13:00 and from 15:00 to 19:30.

### How far is it from Catania?
About 45 km from the centre and 58 km from the airport; the hotel reckons 40 minutes by car to Catania.

Destino: [Etna](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/sicily/etna.md)