As we pulled into Torretta we immediately liked it a lot. I don't know if life still goes on in this charming little hill side town the same as it has for a long time, but it has the slightly ramshackle feel of a living unit unspoilt by the tourist industry. There are great rustic views of the typical Italian/Sicilian mediterranean style dwellings, shops etc everywhere you look. Everyone, old and young, is friendly and responsive. The soundtrack is kids playing, street vendors, cars, bikes, boisterous greetings/arguments & TV and radios from behind the shuttered windows. People are always about, getting on with their lives - on horseback on one occasion- and sitting around at various key viewing/meeting points. At night the place usually has a bit of a buzz especially around the bar/cafe & pizzeria on the stepped piazza in front of the striking church that is illuminated at night. Casa Vacanza Cipriano at No. 15 Via Papa Giovanni is near the centre of the town and comprises high class accommodation over 3/4 floors. It has a private parking space right outside (BTW do not arrive with a big car - FIAT 500 is perfect). It is well appointed and maintained, with lots of open space, light and four balconies offering panoramas over the village and the surroundings, including the valley down to the sea. The kitchen equipment and fittings are excellent but the big pleasant surprise is the top floor open plan master bedroom with a free standing bathtub. The "icing on the cake" for all this is your hosts Patricia and Francesco ("Franco"), who could not be any more friendly, helpful, informative, generous, straight talking and appreciative. Patricia had left us antipasti and wine as an arrival gift and her reception was wonderful, just the initiation you need, warm and affectionate yet down to earth; giving us the low down on the village - where to buy stuff etc - from the various balconies. We met Franco at their bar, the East Village Cafe just round the corner, and had a look in there quite a few times for a good chat and a laugh. If anything needs attention in the house Franco will see to it. Torretta provides an excellent base for exploring much of Sicily but especially Palermo, the Tyrrhenian coast - west and east - and the interior (Corleone etc). We had fantastic days in all these places but always looked forward to getting back to Torretta for the evening and to going out in the morning to buy lovely warm bread for breakfast. We had a really brilliant holiday in Sicily and this was due in a very large part to the stay at Patricia and Franco's place, which - although I hardly need to say it - we highly recommend.