Cortile Spirito Santo

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Baroque Courtyard in the Heart of Ortigia

Cortile Spirito Santo occupies a corner of Siracusa that feels charged with centuries of history. The restaurant sits within Palazzo Salomone, a stately building dating to the 1600s that has been fully restored, and takes its name from the beautiful Chiesa dello Spirito Santo that faces its outdoor courtyard. That courtyard — set up as a lounge — is the beating heart of the space: an open-air setting where the old stone and the evening light do most of the decorating.

The interior sala offers an equally considered atmosphere, where history, culture, and a contemporary sensibility coexist without effort. It is the kind of place where the setting earns its keep before a single dish arrives.

Chef Giuseppe Torrisi and the Sicilian Table

The kitchen is led by Chef Giuseppe Torrisi, whose approach to Italian cuisine is rooted firmly in the island's gastronomic traditions while leaving room for measured innovation. The menu follows the seasons and the market, which means what lands on the table reflects what is genuinely at its best on any given week.

Ingredients are sourced with clear intent: the freshest local fish comes directly from the catch, Sicilian meats are carefully selected, and truffles and mushrooms arrive from the forests of Etna and the Iblean Mountains. The result is a menu that moves between sea and land, always anchored to Sicily's larder.

For those who want to explore the full range of the kitchen, four tasting menus are available — Impronta Vegetale, Storia, Contemporaneità e Tradizione, Passeggiata in Ortigia, and Evoluzione — each offering a different lens on the same Sicilian Italian cuisine. The wine program has earned a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, a recognition that speaks to the seriousness and depth of the cellar.

What to Expect

Cortile Spirito Santo works well for a quiet dinner for two, a private celebration, or a larger gathering — the space accommodates private parties and outdoor seating, and the team can also arrange catering. The restaurant describes its cooking simply and honestly: "selected ingredients, balanced flavors, measured technique, and constant research transform each course into a story." That is exactly what it delivers.