Casa di Pietra

Casa di Pietra sits in Contrada Santa Margherita, the most recently planted of Arianna Occhipinti's nine contrade, in the hills above Chiaramonte Gulfi, the town Sicilians call the balcony of Sicily for its views over the hills, vineyards and coast. The countryside around is thick with olive, almond, pear and cherry trees, and dotted with family wineries, oil mills and small producers of cheese, honey and preserves, most a short drive away. The baroque towns of Ragusa Ibla, Modica and Noto are close, the beaches at Marina di Ragusa about forty kilometres, and the walking trails of the Canalazzo park just minutes away.

Arianna Occhipinti started her label in 2004 with a single hectare of abandoned vines in Contrada Fossa di Lupo, and built it into an estate spanning nine contrade in the Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG. In July 2025 she extended the same approach into hospitality with Chaza, which means "square" in Sicilian, the old name for the Arco dell'Annunziata in Chiaramonte Gulfi and, here, the idea of a gathering place. Two houses make up the project, and Casa di Pietra is the smaller and older-feeling of them: one of the rural houses scattered through the estate's farmland, restored so its history stays visible. The materials come from the place itself, white Iblean stone, ceramics, wrought iron and coccio pesto, laid by local craftsmen. The fireplace still does what it always did, heating the room where people gather. The setting favours stillness: reading in the shade, swimming, sitting in the orchard the house was built into.