The house is nestled among mountains of Castelbuono and the views from bedroom and balcony are phenomenal! The apartment is exactly as it is seen pictures. We arrived around midnight and both Maria and Litterio met us personally near Eni service station in Castelbuono. The home is only 2-3 kms away but can be very bard to find in dark. We followed their car and were pleasantly surprised by homemade marmalade cake and fresh fruits. Since we don’t eggs and cake had eggs, we returned the cake and to our surprise, Maria made some roasted eggplants topped with ricotta and turnip leaves sauted in home produced olive oil. This was outstanding.
They don’t know English(and I don’t expect) and I didn’t know Italian. Initial communication was hard. Maria put lot of effort in explaining things with AirBnb and google translate app. After few days, I picked up some basic Italian.
Maria brought us some fresh figs while Litterio cracked us some of almonds grown in their orchard and gifted us. Litterio also plucked pomegranate and red chillies from his yard. Next day, We cooked some rice and eggplant curry and shared with Maria. The kitchen was well equipped with things you need to cook complex meal. Olive oil from her own orchard tasted amazing. Overall It was a great experience!
Maria suggested us few places to buy Sicilian almonds that are flat, oily and different in taste than Californian almonds. Castelbuono farmers market are Thu so if you are there, pick some pistachios from there.
The apartment is not too far from Cefalu beach. It is 30 minutes drive approximately. If you are looking to unwind, it is a great place!
Maria prepared a room with toys for our daughter. This was very thoughtful. Our daughter enjoyed playin not only the toys but with their dog Stalina!
Thank you Maria and Litterio for your exceptional hospitality! Sette stars! 😀