Masseria Case Damma — Hotel in Syracuse

Our B&B down the road wasn't ready for us yet and we saw this place on trip advisor so thought we'd call in for lunch with two tired and grumpy kids (4 and 3 years). We wondered in and it was exceptionally quiet. I found the owners and they told me it was closed for lunch and they were only doing dinner. I asked where was close for food and I think they took pity on us and said they'd do 'antipasti, bread and cheese'. I thought that meant bread, cheese, salami but clearly something got lost in translation and she ended up serving us a four course extravaganza! We starters we had arancini, mozzarella, courgettes in the most amazing marinade, rice and potato fried balls, salami and bread. Our pasta course was lasagne in a creamy mozzarella sauce with ham. Our main was fennel sausages of sorts and potatoes in rosemary. Pudding was something Very similar to tiramisu. She did a tomato pasta for the boys (although they ate lots of the other things with us) that was beautifully flavoured with olive oil we just can't get at home in the UK. All of it without exception was amazing. The setting is beautiful, very traditional Sicilian, with a little play area for the kids. I highly recommend you come here. Do check whether lunch is being served...

Our stay at Casse Damma was a respite after a very hard time, and every aspect of it was a joy for us. The owner Carmelo is a kind man with a nice sense of humor who also cares about making his guests comfortable and who seeks to give them an experience that they will remember for a long time, and that is not to mention that the oranges from his orchard are some of the best that I've had in my entire life! A bonus was that Carmelo arranged for his talented and warm mother-in-law Nora to give us a cooking class for a VERY reasonable price, given that we learned to cook a four-course Sicilian meal (starters+primi+secondi+dessert) -- it was like cooking with the Sicilian grandma that I never had! The location is also very good -- it is far enough outside of Siracusa that it has a nice rural feel, while being close enough to Siricusa and Fontane Beach to get away for a morning, afternoon, or evening after a 15 minute drive. The breakfast that Carmelo provided was also very nice, and Stefania was very pleasant...

Our stay at Case Damma was a respite after a very hard time, and every aspect of it was a joy for us. The owner Carmelo is a kind man with a nice sense of humor who also cares about making his guests comfortable and who seeks to give them an experience that they will remember for a long time, and that is not to mention that the oranges from his orchard are some of the best that I've had in my entire life! A bonus was that Carmelo arranged for his talented and warm mother-in-law Nora to give us a cooking class for a VERY reasonable price, given that we learned to cook a four-course Sicilian meal (starters+primi+secondi+dessert) -- it was like cooking with the Sicilian grandma that I never had! The location is also very good -- it is far enough outside of Siracusa that it has a nice rural feel, while being close enough to Siricusa and Fontane Beach to get away for a morning, afternoon, or evening after a 15 minute drive. The breakfast that Carmelo provided was also very nice, and Stefania was very pleasant...