The White Lotus Effect
Gazing at the Bay of Catania from the lighthouse Faro di Brucoli
Happy Friday my friends!
For those of you who watched the latest season of The White Lotus and instantly began longing for the Sicilian coast, with its magnificent rocky beaches, cerulean seas, bickering couples in various states of undone, leering grandfathers, dysfunctional families, young (poorly dressed) lovers, one marvelously wealthy mostly mentally unstable woman, and a clutch of deviously murderous gays, I have just the thing. Forget Taormina! Abandon Palermo! Instead, go to the Bay of Catania and rent the Faro di Brucoli, a luxurious, pristinely restored lighthouse run by NYC hospitality veteran Tom Piscitello. So you know it’s gonna be special.
Why? Well, if you know Tom, you know. Tom began his career at Coco Pazzo, and has been a front of house man working with Lydia Bastianich, Ceserae Casella and most recently with Danny Meyer at Ci Siamo. Tom and I met decades ago, back when he was at Beppe where we bonded in an instant, becoming fast friends. He’s a gem, someone who brings an incredible amount of generosity and a deep, genuine sense of hospitality and warmth to every room he works.
During the pandemic, Tom took advantage of his Italian heritage and he and his husband Andy moved to Sicily where they fell in love with the Faro di Brucoli. This winter Tom’s brother decided to buy it (we all need Tom’s brother in our life), and now Tom and Andy are ready to welcome guests (maybe you?) this summer.
Let me say this; when someone with decades of maitre’d experience takes over a villa, it’s gonna be exceptional. Would you like a local chef to come cook your meals? Would you like to have a private boat and your own captain whisk you around the bay like the Talented Mr. Ripley (without the murder)? Perhaps you’d like to have your local groceries delivered to the villa in advance? You might enjoy a food tour, or a pasta-making class? Do you need dinner plans arranged, a shopping excursion? Yes, yes, yes, and of course. Tom will make it happen. “Everything is possible here,” he said, channeling his inner Valentina.
Now let me tell you about the lighthouse where you and yours will stay. It’s located at the tip of a long thin finger of land smack in the Bay of Catania in a town that’s home to an ancient fishing village where locals hid in cavernous caves in the bay during the war. The lighthouse can be accessed only by driving through the fifteenth-century Aragonese Castle of Queen Giovanna. You read right: You drive through a castle to get to the lighthouse.
Your lighthouse is surrounded by bright blue seas on all sides, with the dark blur of Mt. Etna off in the distance. Climb up to the lighthouses rooftop pool and deck and prepare for your breath to stall. “There is simply no video, no photograph that you can possibly show anyone that prepares you for the view when you walk into this place,” Tom told me. “You can sit on the terrace, wade in the rooftop pool, nod in and out of sleep on a lounger all day long and just watch the sea and the volcano erupting and changing throughout the day. You can do nothing else and that is enough.” Um, sign me up.
The three bedroom, three bathroom house is magnificent, impeccably furnished with Italy’s most coveted designer pieces. There’s also a wrap-around terrace, a pair of tiled roof decks and multiple outdoor hydro spaces include a wading pool, a wellness area with a hammam spa (well that’s indoors), a whirlpool bath and chromotherapy, and two outdoor showers. If you care to go to the beach, there’s a small one reachable through a walkway that’s got a charming mussels shack where you can have a casual lunch with lots of cold Grillo. (What sounds better than that?)
Also good to know: Catania is a much more affordable town than those other White Lotus spots. Its food and wine is not crazy expensive and so that helps make sure your vacation is not going to eat a hole in your wallet.
Finally, the lighthouse is just a quick 30 minute drive from the airport. “We will pick you up from the 2:40 flight, and by 3:30 you will be on the terrace with wine in your hands,” Tom told me. It’s that simple. Everything is possible here.
Faro di Brucoli can be rented weekly; rates range from $6000-$10K a week depending on the season. To book and learn more go here.
Wow!!😍 So, so beautiful! Congratulations Tom!🥳💕
Amazing