A narrow lane between old stone walls leads to Signum.
Hotel Signum occupies a cluster of nineteenth-century buildings in Malfa, on the north coast of Salina in Sicily’s Aeolian Islands. Clara Rametta and Michele Caruso bought a manor house, an agricultural storehouse and a terrace with a vegetable garden here in 1988. They opened with 16 rooms, keeping the stone steps, terracotta floors and weathered plaster. The hotel now has 30 rooms and suites spread across the buildings.
Their children run Signum today: Luca Caruso is the host and general manager, and Martina Caruso leads the kitchen. Other members of the family play their part, too. Michele grows vegetables for the restaurant, while Luca and Martina’s cousin Raffaele runs the bar.
01
Rooms overlooking the gardens and sea
Acanto, Malva, Ginestra, Assenzio: the rooms are named after plants found on Salina. Superior rooms overlook the gardens; some have a private terrace, others sit above the pool. Deluxe rooms have sea views towards Panarea and Stromboli.
Massimo Troisi stayed in the Corbezzolo suite while filming “Il Postino”. An old cast-iron bath stands in the bedroom, and small balconies overlook the Gulf of Malfa. The three Villa Suites offer more space. Added between 2016 and 2018 in a large house by the sea, they have old cement tiles and exposed timber beams.
02
Martina Caruso’s kitchen
Martina Caruso decided to become a chef at 16. After working in kitchens in Italy and abroad, she returned to Signum at 23. The restaurant has held a MICHELIN star since 2016. She cooks with the catch brought in by Salina’s fishermen, including less sought-after fish such as moray eel, and vegetables from her father’s garden. Red mullet is a longstanding favourite, reworked each year.
She cooks in what was once Michele’s kitchen, rebuilt by the family in 2024 with a red central island, a Josper oven and a Japanese charcoal grill. Dinner is served on the terrace or in the veranda, with just nine tables in each. For a more casual meal, the terrace bistrot serves dishes based on Michele’s recipes.
03
Luca’s wine cellar and Raffaele’s bar
Luca Caruso has spent more than twenty years building a wine collection that now runs to over 1,200 labels, with a strong focus on Salina, the Aeolian Islands and Sicily. The cellar occupies a vaulted room once used for winemaking. Its old wine press, known as a palmento, is still in place.
At the bar, his cousin Raffaele Caruso uses ingredients grown on the island. His Spicy Capp is made with caper-infused vodka; the Salina in Black uses wild blackberries and is served while fresh berries are in season.
“The wine list is like a pebble in the sea: it makes circles that keep growing wider.”
Luca Caruso
04
Signum’s thermal spa
In 2008, the family drilled for water and found a geothermal spring about 80 metres below ground. The spa occupies a former storehouse and has two outdoor stone pools. One holds the natural, greenish thermal water at around 29°C; the other is heated to 35–36°C.
The domed steam room was inspired by a thermal structure discovered on neighbouring Lipari, dating back some 3,500 years. The spa’s own products are made with five island ingredients: caper, lemon, orange, Malvasia and prickly pear.
Images
All images.
Three questions for the Signum team.
01
Where is your favourite place in the hotel?
The spa — somewhere to unwind.
02
What would you recommend for a first taste of Martina’s cooking?
Bagnacauda with raw sea urchin.
03
Where would you send guests on Salina?
Pollara at sunset.
The Signum team recommends
Sunset in Pollara
Pollara’s few houses sit within an ancient volcanic crater, with the Faraglione di Pollara rising from the sea offshore. Scenes from “Il Postino” were filmed here. The Signum team recommends coming for sunset. Arrive in the early evening and allow time to linger. If you take the bus, check the return service in advance; hiring a scooter or car is another option.
Sources & editorial status
Researched from the hotel’s official information, editorially checked on 9 October 2026. We do not claim to have stayed here. Prices and availability directly from the hotel.
'nni Lausta has been cooking island food since 1994, with Fabio Giuffrè now at the stove. The menu changes daily: cuttlefish tartare with candied citron and mint, homemade tagliolini with preserved lemon, rabbit braised in cooked wine with almonds, and a cremolata of mandarins from the garden, served on a first-floor terrace between the garden and the vegetable beds.
For
A special dinner
Good to know
Open daily from 1 April to 31 October, lunch 1–2 pm and dinner 7–11 pm; booking recommended.
A trattoria in Malfa on a terrace looking over vines to the sea – the kind of spot where Malvasia grapes were once left to dry. Expect gnocchi with squid ragù, swordfish braciola with aubergine and Vastedda cheese, line-caught fish by weight, and to finish a freshly filled cannolo or Malvasia with biscuits.
A farm restaurant on the headland above Pollara bay, where the family grows and cures its own capers. The cooking follows the island and the seasons, capers included, and the tables sit on a terrace above the sea that catches the sunset.
For
A trip out to Pollara for the caper fields and the sunset
Good to know
Guided walks through the caper fields and the processing room are offered separately.
A bar on the piazza in Lingua, right by the water, known for granita and pane cunzato, the islands' generously topped bread. Tables are set out on the square.
For
A granita in the morning or a quick lunch by the sea