A exquisite Art Nouveau hotel by the sea in the old part of the city, the island of Ortigia, it embodies the history of luxury tourism in Syracuse in the early 20th century, when the nearby maritime station was a port of call for major shipping companies. The first mention of the hotel appeared in the *Gazzetta di Siracusa* on 20 January 1900, in connection with ‘musical and dance evenings’. The bourgeoisie and aristocracy gathered in the Art Nouveau Sala Athena for the first cinema screenings, balls and fashion shows; artists on tour at the Teatro Comunale would also stay there. Luxuriously restored, it preserves a section of the Spanish walls and archaeological finds.