The Palmento and the Museum
Where Time Has Stood Still
In the heart of Etna-Mare stands a precious testimony of the past: our palmento from the early 1900s, where until twenty-five years ago, Etna red wine was made using ancient techniques. This structure, skillfully restored but maintained in its original functionality, is much more than a building: it’s a stone book that tells the story of Etna winemaking and the lives of entire generations who knew how to transform grapes into the nectar of the gods.
Today, alongside its historical function, the palmento houses a valuable ethno-anthropological museum of rural civilization, where every object on display tells stories of hard work, ingenuity, and love for the land that characterized Sicilian rural life until the 1960s.
Where Every Stone Has a Purpose
The palmento of Etna-Mare is a masterpiece of rural engineering, where every element was designed to optimize the winemaking process using only the force of gravity and human labor.
The Ancient Transformation Vats
Two vats carved into the volcanic rock and lined with lava stone are the heart of the winemaking process. The first received the grapes transported in traditional wicker “cufini”, where they were pressed by foot in a collective ritual that involved the whole family. The second vat saw the beginning of the magic transformation from sweet juice to wine.
The "Ghianca": Genius of Tradition
The Great Barrel: the Temple of Time
Made of chestnut wood with a capacity of about 5,600 liters, the large barrel represented the temple where the wine completed its maturation. The filling was done using the “quartana”, a ten-liter copper container that was passed from hand to hand among three workers in a human chain that marked the last phase of collective work.
When Work Became Celebration
The harvest was not just a time of gathering, but a true social ritual that marked the rhythm of peasant life. The whole family participated in this event that transformed toil into celebration, individual work into a collective festival.
At dawn, when dew still wet the clusters, the harvest began in the terraced vineyards. Transporting the grapes to the palmento was a moment of sharing: mule-drawn carts wound along the Etna paths, loaded with fragrant clusters and hopes for the new vintage.
Once at the palmento, the most spectacular phase began: the collective grape pressing, where men and boys danced on the grapes to the rhythm of ancient folk songs, in a moment that combined work, tradition, and socializing.
The Museum of Rural Memory
The ethno-anthropological museum housed in the palmento preserves the tangible memory of Sicilian rural civilization through a collection of objects that tell the daily life of a world now gone. From the shoemaker’s forms to the “male” and “female” wicker baskets, different in size according to traditional use, each object reveals the ingenuity and creativity of those who had to solve practical problems of rural life with simple but durable materials.
The Memory of Work
The plow that furrowed the volcanic fields, the hoes that tamed the black earth, “a statia” (the weighing scale), “u tummulu” (the unit of measure for cereals), “u furcuni” (the three-pronged pitchfork): each tool tells a story of hard work and wisdom, of men who intimately knew the secrets of the land.
The Art of Preserving
Bulbous demijohns for wine, vegetable fabric sacks called “lona” for transporting grapes, the washboard for laundry, pots and plates in local ceramics: objects that reveal how every aspect of life was regulated by natural rhythms and practical necessities, where nothing was wasted and everything had a second life.
The Light of the Past
The oil lamp that allowed work even after sunset, the ancient keys that guarded the treasures of the house, the “piattera” for serving food: small objects that illuminate the daily life of a time when the relationship with things was intimate and long-lasting.
Three Independent Retreats in the Heart of the Etna Countryside
Three independent apartments, recently renovated in respect of Sicilian tradition, welcome you as authentic rural homes. Each with its privileged view – from the Ionian Sea to the Etna hills, from terraced vineyards to ancient olive trees – and equipped with a kitchen to enjoy products from our organic garden.
The multi-level layout ensures privacy and tranquility, while the common panoramic terraces become the perfect place to admire Etna and the sea in a single glance.
