There is a certain kind of culinary traveller who will happily board a ferry to a volcanic island off the coast of Sicily. They are drawn by the voyage and what waits at the other end — and obviously by what is served at their table.
Hotel Signum on Salina is not exactly convenient, nor is it on the way to anywhere in particular. But it is worth the journey.
The Aeolian Islands off Sicily’s northern coast are magical, straight out of a myth, and Salina is perhaps the most magical of them all. The second-largest of the seven, it is also, by some distance, the greenest. Where the others are barren and volcanic, Salina is lush with bougainvillaea-covered terraces and hillside vineyards, the black lava beaches in stark contrast with the crystalline water.
Sprawling villages are built along the coastline around the foothills of two extinct volcanoes rising from the island’s centre. Freshwater springs feed soil rich enough for what many consider the world’s finest capers and the only Malvasia wine in the archipelago.
The village of Malfa is set on a part of the island that looks out to Panarea and Stromboli on the horizon. It is here you’ll find Hotel Signum, one of those rare places that stay on your mind long after you have left. It was founded in 1988 by Clara Rametta and Michele Caruso, who restored the island’s ruins into what would become the hotel’s first rooms.
A labyrinth of terracotta pathways and terraces leads to pastel-shaded rooms, each furnished with antiques and pieces accumulated over generations. The joy is in how utterly Sicilian it all is. Teste di moro (Sicilian ceramic vases) keep gentle watch from around the resort (à la White Lotus season two), while lemon trees shade the daybeds and the swimming pool dissolves into the distant turquoise sea.
Almost 40 years on, the second generation has taken over. Martina Caruso leads the kitchen, holding a Michelin star she has retained for 10 consecutive years. She was also named the Michelin Guide’s Best Female Chef in Italy in 2019. Her brother Luca runs the hotel and the floor.
The cuisine is an incredibly creative expression of Aeolian cooking, playful and progressive. There are three tasting menus, each a different entry point into Martina’s cooking:
- “Sigillo” is the full story, with the dishes that now define her kitchen;
- “Oltremare” focuses on the ocean and is a more progressive offering; while
- “Radici” is a vegetable-focused menu filled with herbs and citrus.
The bagnacàuda — garlic and anchovies with raw sea urchin — is a Piedmontese preparation rerouted through Sicily: briny and savoury, the urchin adding a buttery sweetness.
Then there’s barbecued, breaded scabbard fish paired with almonds and the chef’s take on leche de tigre. It’s a dish of fabulous contrasts, with the acidity cutting through the smokiness.
Next is spaghetti with anchovies and fennel: a love letter to the island, featuring a fennel-purée emulsion, anchovies, a touch of orange zest and muddica atturrata (toasted breadcrumbs) for texture, all atop perfect pasta.
Dessert sees the famed capers of Salina appear as an ice cream, salty and sweet — an unexpected turn for the familiar ingredient.
Luca has spent about two decades building a cellar of more than 1,200 labels anchored in the Mediterranean, with Sicilian wines and Salina’s own Malvasia forming the basis.
I often think back to arriving at the terrace just before dinner, the scent of lemons and the Mediterranean turning pink in the last light — a view that continues to linger. The hotel and restaurant are open only in summer.
From the May issue of Wanted, 2026
