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Italy
A Community-Oriented B&B Close to Mount Etna
The Polish-born creative Lukas Lewandowski lived many lives before opening Casa Lawa, a lavastone-constructed guesthouse, kitchen and residency near Mount Etna in Sicily. After working as a stylist, gallerist and chef in Berlin and Amsterdam, he decided to pack up his apartment and move to a larger space in Italy where he could combine his passions for food, design and hospitality. “Making connections between people around the table is so special,” says Lewandowski, who, along with his salon-owner husband, Merijn Gillis, stumbled upon the 1812 house that would eventually become Casa Lawa last summer. Situated between Milo and Sant’Alfio, with direct views of one of the world’s most active volcanoes, the 10-acre property used to be an old palmento, or grape press. Upon learning that the former owner had turned the vineyards into fruit orchards, Lewandowski envisioned a future in which he’d use the apples and pears for cider.
When the couple opened Casa Lawa last summer, they filled it with eclectic items: a vintage mushroom lamp, a painting by the Dutch artist Jan Cremer, a 1970s modular Nuvolone sofa by Rino Maturi for Mimo Padova. There are three bedrooms, one of which the hosts occupy. “That’s the whole idea of giving people a very personal experience,” says Lewandowski. “Every morning, we serve breakfast and discuss the guests’ plans for the day; we go together to the local market, organize Etna hikes and visit winemakers.” While the area surrounding Mount Etna is sleepier than the crowded nearby coastline of Taormina and Catania, the owners hope to cultivate a community through the guesthouse’s weeklong residency program. “I’m inviting people who can contribute new values to the space,” says Lewandowski, who has already brought in a visual artist to help with branding and a baker to develop a house bread and other treats he can serve to guests. Next up? A fermentation residency, with a workshop on turning apples, pears and plums into winter cider. Rooms from $225; casalawa.com.
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