At Falcone Borsellino Airport, the gateway to western Sicily, a new space dedicated to Planeta and Serra Ferdinandea wines and the flavours of the island has been created in partnership with Autogrill and in collaboration with Prezzemolo & Vitale.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Planeta Wine Bar took place in the presence of the President of the Sicilian Region, Franco Schifani, the Mayor of Palermo, Roberto Lagalla, and the Archbishop of Monreale, Monsignor Gualtiero Federico Isacchi.
The new space celebrates wine and reflects Planeta’s thirty-year commitment to showcasing the diversity and richness of Sicily’s wine-growing regions.
The Planeta Wine Bar was created in partnership with Autogrill, which found in Planeta the ideal partner to best represent the island’s wine heritage: a glass of wine, accompanied by a menu that celebrates local produce and has been developed in collaboration with Prezzemolo & Vitale, thus becomes the perfect culmination of a journey, whether arriving in or departing from Sicily.
The opening takes on particular significance at an airport that has seen steady growth in recent years, consolidating its role as the gateway to western Sicily and as a strategic infrastructure for the region’s tourism development. In 2025, Falcone Borsellino Airport reached an all-time high of 9.2 million passengers, representing a 3.4 per cent increase compared with 2024, driven in particular by international traffic, which rose by 11.54 per cent. This upward trend continued in 2026, with traffic growth of 5.5 per cent in the first few months of the year and 22 per cent in August alone, confirming a positive trend that points towards the target of 10 million passengers by the end of the year.
The new Wine Bar is therefore part of the development strategy undertaken by GESAP, which is investing in improving the quality of its services, in innovation and in the customer experience, helping to expand and enhance the range of services on offer to an ever-growing Italian and international clientele.
The star of the Wine Bar is, of course, wine. The wine list features Planeta wines from the family’s seven estates, all certified organic, offering a journey through the regions, grape varieties and the diverse expressions of Sicilian viticulture, all served by the glass. Alongside the Planeta wines are those from Serra Ferdinandea, a project launched in 2019 following a collaboration between the Planeta and Oddo families in an unspoilt area of western Sicily, which has recently been awarded Demeter certification. The estate is managed according to the principles of biodynamic agriculture, where viticulture is practised with minimal intervention and the utmost respect for the natural balance of the land. The range is completed by Planeta Extra Virgin Olive Oil, produced at the Oasi Capparrina in Menfi, the family’s historic estate overlooking the Mediterranean.
Rounding off the experience is the culinary offering, developed in collaboration with Prezzemolo & Vitale, a 100 per cent Sicilian business founded in 1986 in Palermo and now operating ten outlets in the Sicilian capital and six in London. This highly successful business story received significant recognition in 2026 when Giusy Vitale was appointed a Cavaliere del Lavoro by the President of the Republic. This partner was chosen to create a food offering designed to complement the wines, drawing on ingredients, recipes and products rooted in the island’s culinary culture.
The Planeta Wine Bar is the result of a collaboration with Autogrill, a partner in the project since its inception, with the aim of creating a contemporary space within Falcone Borsellino Airport dedicated to Planeta wines and Sicilian gastronomic culture, designed to welcome arriving and departing travellers.
“I would like to thank Autogrill, which has believed in this project alongside us right from the start, and the senior management at GESAP for supporting its realisation,” says Santi Planeta – commercial director of Planeta. “And we are particularly delighted about our collaboration with Prezzemolo & Vitale: sharing this space with another deeply Sicilian business allows us to create an authentic and contemporary experience. We would like visitors to find here a first taste of the Sicily they are about to discover or have just visited.”
