On October 20 in Taormina, Friendship and Talent Come Together as Four Seasons Italian Collection Chefs and Pastry Chefs Unite for an Annual Charity Event: the Gran Galà d’Autunno

The annual Gran Galà is a highlight of the autumn season at San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel.

This year, Chef Massimo Mantarro, the host, surprises guests by gathering in Taormina the artistry and talent of Four Seasons Italian Collection chefs and pastry chefs, for a dinner that embodies their friendship and culinary excellence, in aid of LILT, the Italian League for the Fight Against Cancer, in Catania.

The hotel’s newly appointed General Manager Imelda Shllaku will preside over the evening.

The Gran Galà dinner was created by Sicilians for Sicily and aims to give back to the community, donating all proceeds to a local organization. This year, the proceeds will be donated to LILT—in the nearby city of Catania.

The evening will start with an aperitif in the hotel’s Ancient Cloister, accompanied by the vibrant rhythms of the Taormina Plettro Orchestra, set against the historic charm of the former monastery. Guests will then be seated for the gala dinner in the magnificent Chiesa Ballroom.

Alongside Chef Massimo Mantarro and Vincenzo Abagnale of San Domenico Palace, Taormina, Executive Chef Fabrizio Borraccino and Pastry Chef Stefano Trovisi will arrive in Sicily from Milan, while Executive Chef Paolo Lavezzini and Pastry Chef Mariano Dileo will join from Florence.

These talents represent some of Italy’s most iconic hotels where Four Seasons welcomes international and local guests, enchanting them with the destinations and designing experiences that convey the uniqueness of each region and its local flavours. They bring this dedication to life every day with great passion through their restaurants: Il Principe Cerami, Michelin-starred restaurant, Rosso, and Anciovi in Taormina; Zelo in Milan; and Il Palagio, Michelin-starred restaurant and Onde in Florence.

Menu

Welcome by Chefs Borraccino, Lavezzini and Mantarro: Canapés

Almerita Brut & Brut Rosé - Tasca d'Almerita

Volcano Etna Dry Gin & Tonic

Appetizer by Massimo Mantarro: Ficu’ beetroot with Girgentana goat cheese, rice and basil

Etna White "A' Puddara" - Tenuta di Fessina

First Course by Fabrizio Borraccino: Plin pasta with aged goat cheese, porcini mushrooms, radish, and black truffle

Etna Rosé – Cottanera

Second Course by Paolo Lavezzini: Nebrodi suckling pig, tomato an potato millefeuille, Etna avocado chutney, and Sicilian pistachios

Etna Red "Arrigo" - Azienda Agricola Neri

Pre-Dessert by Stefano Trovisi: Pink grapefruit and timut pepper sorbet, sbrisolona cake, and Sicilian orange sauce

Dessert by Mariano Dileo: Kensington mango lingot, Arriba Victoria 73% chocolate, candied lemon, and chili pepper

Petit-Four by Vincenzo Abagnale: Mandarin roulade with dulce algae powder, amaretto and armagnac Laberdolive 1986 bonbon, hazelnut cremino with prickly pear

Moscato di Pantelleria "Kabir" - Donnafugata

The event, dedicated to LILT, comes to life thanks to the invaluable support and collaboration of all chefs and generous sponsors (in alphabetical order): Achille Campione (seafood); Agricacao (chocolate); Agrimontana (dried fruit); Agrisicula (vegetables); Broggi (final gift); Cantina Neri (wines); Calvisius (caviar); Cottanera (wines); Donnafugata (wines); Graficatre Tipolito (typography); Taormina Plettro Orchestra (musical entertainment); Project Eventi (audiovisual); Tartufo Meneghini (truffle); Tasca d’Almerita (wines); Tenuta di Fessina (wine); Volcano Gin Etna Spirit (aperitif gin).

• Aperitif in the Ancient Cloister at 7:00 pm
• Gala Dinner in the Chiesa Ballroom at 8:00 pm
• Price: EUR 190 per person – including wine pairing, water, and coffee
• Reservation required: FBReservations.taormina@fourseasons.com

LILT

LILT is the only nationally recognized public entity of significant importance, awarded the gold medal for merit in public health. For over 100 years, it has operated as a non-profit organization across Italy with the specific mission of fighting cancer through the promotion of oncological prevention. It operates under the High Patronage of the Presidency of the Republic and is overseen by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and supervised by the Court of Auditors.

Four Seasons Italian Collection

Four Seasons Hotel Milano opened in 1993 as the first Four Seasons hotel in continental Europe. Since then, the brand has expanded with Four Seasons Hotel Firenze in 2008, located in the magnificent Renaissance Palazzo della Gherardesca with the adjacent Palazzo del Nero and extensive gardens in the heart of Florence, and in 2021, San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel, set in the iconic former Dominican Convent. The Four Seasons pipeline in Italy includes the opening of Hotel Danieli as a Four Seasons Hotel in 2026 and the development of a resort near Ostuni in Puglia.