Il Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & SPA, Curio Collection by Hilton

Luigi Rota Caremoli routed the course in 1989 across 44 hectares of hilly ground, using volcanic rock and old lava flows as hazards. The result is a par 72 of 5,870 metres: short on the card, far from tame on the ground, with tight fairways, two- and three-tier greens and par 3s whose difficulty depends on the wind. The 7th is the toughest par 5, a double dogleg climbing uphill to a green guarded on the left by an ancient lava flow. The 11th, stroke index 1, threads between water and out of bounds. The 15th sits in a natural amphitheatre with Etna behind it, and the club calls it the most relaxing hole on the course.

The layout staged the Sicilian Ladies Italian Open three years running, 1995 to 1997, and again in 2011, plus a European Senior Open stage in 2010.

Hotel guests pay €90 for 18 holes (€110 for visitors), and the driving range, putting and pitching greens are included. The range has 16 bays, five of them covered, and the club house has a TrackMan simulator. Lessons with head pro Giuseppe Marra cost €70 an hour. Tee times can be booked online; players need Italian Golf Federation (FIG) membership with a handicap or green card.

The 100 rooms and suites come in seven types, from comfort rooms and split-level duplexes up to full suites. Every Etna room has a private balcony facing the volcano and the vineyards, and most of the others look over the course. There are no sea views: the coast is around 25 minutes by car, and instead of its own beach the hotel has arrangements with lidos, including some at Giardini Naxos.

Families get family rooms with a connecting door for up to four, and cots on request, but no kids' club: the hotel says it offers no childcare service. Small and medium-sized pets are welcome.

Dinner is at La Ghiandaia, the hotel restaurant, where the à la carte menu offers two choices for every course. Olio & Vino is a smaller room of 50 covers built around Etna DOC wines and local olive oils, with tasting menus. Lunch is at Il Palmento, the osteria in the club house a two-minute walk from the hotel, renovated in 2026; in summer tables move outside beside the course.

The Ætna Spa & Wellness covers 940 m². Its 90-minute circuit runs through a steam bath, Finnish sauna, cold plunge, sensory showers and a hydrotherapy pool. It opens 10am to 7pm to guests aged 16 and over, entry is included when you book on the hotel's own website, and the gym is open around the clock.

The club publishes hours for the whole year: 8am to 5pm in winter and 8am to 7pm in summer. The outdoor pools open between late May and early July and close between late September and early October, depending on the weather.

The Golf Escape package, on sale from 28 March to 9 November, pairs stays of 3, 5 or 7 nights and breakfast with two, three or five discounted green fees, unlimited range tokens and 90 minutes of spa time a day.

• A rare credential: the club says Luigi Rota Caremoli was the only Italian admitted to the British association of golf course architects.
• Green fees you can spend at the spa: on the Golf Escape package, a partner who doesn't play can use the value of the green fees for spa treatments and massages instead.
• Catania without a car: a Circumetnea stop on line A1, Randazzo-Catania, is about 100 metres from the hotel.
• A biologist on the range: head pro Giuseppe Marra, at the club since September 2019, holds a biology degree and is certified by TrackMan and AimPoint.