Planeta Estate’s La Foresteria opens the 2024 season

The new season opens at Planeta Estate’s La Foresteria, the Planeta family’s wine resort situated on the south-western Sicilian coast, a few kilometres from the temples of Selinunte and Alberto Burri’s Cretto at Gibellina, symbols of Sicilian culture. This family has always been strongly involved in developing and promoting Sicily and its marvels, from wine to its hospitality. Just two days ago it was recognised as ‘Wine Family of the Year’ during the 18th edition of the ‘Meininger Awards Excellence in Wine and Spirits’ at Dusseldorf.

Since 2021 La Foresteria has been included in the global network Eco Luxury, Retreats of the World. With its 14 bedrooms surrounded by an enchanting Mediterranean garden, the resort offers an exclusive stay, indicated by a respect for the environment according to the fundamental values of the Planeta family. A voyage into the beauty, the aromas, the colours and traditions which have been handed down from generation to generation.

‘Gladly we celebrate the re-opening of La Foresteria, a place which manifests the spirit and hospitality of our family. It is a privilege to welcome our guests to this corner of Sicily, where the beauty of nature combines with the elegance of our Wine Resort. We are happy to share with them the unique experiences and authentic flavours which make La Foresteria an unforgettable place.’

Declaration by Francesca Planeta, President of Planeta Estate.

Planeta hospitality has always been accompanied by the food and recipes of the family, with a continual dialogue between the creative and innovative ideas of Chef Angelo Pumilia. He offers gastronomy in continuous evolution, thanks to constant research which firmly maintains the positive values of the firm; respect for the territory, his studies, and sustainability.

The 2024 novelty from Chef Angelo Pumilia is Orto, a vegetarian tasting menu that uses the organic resources of local producers, from Orto della Gurra, not far from La Foresteria and the herbs which surround the restaurant, this year still more ‘green’ and sustainable. The menu provides five dishes which are an invitation to explore the chlorophyll of leaves and the intensity of wild herbs, the new arrivals of the Menfi artichoke and the eminence of oyster mushrooms. An iconic speciality of Palermitan street food, usually based on lamb intestines wrapped around spring onions, has been reinvented in the Orto menu as a Stigghiola vegetale. This version provides an entertaining and innovative gastronomic experience, retaining a crunchy exterior and the soft interior of its traditional counterpart, but entirely vegetable-based.

The second menu, Casa Planeta, offers a journey through the traditional family recipes. Among the principal dishes are the classic Ravioli di casa, a traditional dish of fresh pasta stuffed with sheep’s ricotta, mint and Kamarino tomatoes, roast lamb and a Savarin, a sweet originating in France.

The third tasting menu, Primavera, relates the culinary explorations of Chef Angelo Pumilia through five dishes inspired by great international classics, reinterpreted with local ingredients and the unique flavour of Sicilian cookery. Among the offerings are the standout Ramen Siciliano, a homage to Japan enriched with the best products of the territory, and the innovative Crab Roll, a sandwich with blue crab, together with Catalana di astice e alla terrina francese, a lobster dish, which all guarantee a unique gastronomic journey.

‘My cooking is a stroll through the extraordinary garden of biodiversity which is Sicily.
It is a path departing from my country and which interacts with the history and gastronomic traditions of the Planeta family, but loves to wander and explore the world’.

With these words Angelo Pumilia asserts how in each of his dishes the selection and use of raw materials is the result of a close and cohesive exchange between the territory and the restaurant, enriched by a firm relationship with small and reputable local producers who guarantee each day the best fish from the nearby sea and the best of cheese products, such as the mozzarella di Sambuca di Sicilia, made a short distance from Planeta’s estate at Ulmo, or the fresh ricotta from sheep’s milk produced a few kilometres from La Foresteria.

Among other novelties is breakfast served in the Garden Room looking over the vineyards to the Mediterranean sea. A new idea which includes a salad corner, loaded with fruit and fresh vegetables, seeds, herbs and local produce. Warm bread and locally produced focaccia are accompanied by organic jams and preserves, consisting of traditional raw materials arriving from the best local producers, and a selection of à la carte hot and cold dishes.

La Foresteria’s cellar also sees the arrival of Enrico Miro, a sommelier from Liguria, brings an international background ranging from bar work to wine expertise. After a period at El Celler de Can Roca in Spain and at Cucina Nervi at Gattinara, he decided to come south to study in Sicily, the ‘vine-growing continent’ and to work with the Planeta family.

La Foresteria’s wine list is distinguished by two sections; ‘Repertorio 1694’, the most complete vertical collection of Planeta’s products from Menfi, Sambuca di Sicilia, Vittoria, Noto, Etna and Capo

Milazzo, and the list ‘I vini degli amici’, a selection of excellent Sicilian, Italian and international wines.

The journey of discovery of Sicily with Planeta wines is enriched by new events and itineraries. Particularly Planeta on Tour, an exclusive tour devoted to 4 historic estates: Capparrina, where the family produces three varieties of extra-virgin olive oil IGP; Dispensa, the beating heart of every activity; Monte Cirami, the winery dedicated entirely to the organic production of the four highest quality Planeta wines; finally Ulmo, the ancient baglio and seat of the family’s origins.