Four of us just spent a wonderful week at Villa de Grande. The villa was built in 1928, formerly the home of a noted Sicilian author. We enjoyed cooking in the very well-equipped Italian farmhouse kitchen, and eating in the gorgeous formal dining room, casually in the kitchen, or best of all, out on the large terrace with views of Noto in the distance (Noto lit up at night with a full moon reflecting on the sea was magical). The living room and bedrooms are spacious and comfortable, and the villa was clean and quiet.
Maria Novella was a lovely hostess, with prompt communication and good local recommendations. The villa has no local numerical address, so she met us at the historical cemetery in Noto and we followed her to the villa. She even led us to the local supermarket the first night to make sure we found it.
The property description does note that the villa is 4 km from Noto; in fact, it is about 5 km up a road into the hills from the outskirts of town, and 10 km from the most convenient public parking in Noto. You absolutely need a car to stay here!
Overall, we loved our stay here, and would highly recommend it to a group of friends or a family. Thank you Maria Novella!