This place is very special to me. The grounds are immaculate and more lovely than the photographs. There is an outdoor grill and outdoor bread oven which I would have loved to use but alas, the winds in November did not allow. There are lovely tended to trees, two old wells and crushed limestone that make this place so special. I felt connected to the history of that part of Sicily which apparently was habited by 20,000 B.C.
The kitchen had all the essentials and more. The espresso maker, although older, was the best espresso maker we have had in our 3 month stay in Italy/Sicily. Also, as my husband and I drink decaf, Salvatore provided the pods necessary for us and it was much appreciated.
The inside of the property is what you see in the photos. Furniture is a bit dated... however, if you allow yourself to settle in, its very comfortable. The appliances work wonderful. The mini oven was strong enough to cook bread and fabulous baked potatoes. The pots and pans were of decent quality. The only recommendation I have on the kitchen is the knives were dull. We often find this so we travel with a knife so no issue for us.
The living room had two comfortable couches and a wood burning fireplace with plenty of wood. We had a fire most nights and it was quite nostalgic for me growing up with one. There is also an oversized mini-split heater and AC that was plenty for the whole house.
The bedrooms were spacious, lots of storage space, and all windows in the property have screens (not usual in Italy/Sicily). That does mean that the darkening shutters do not go down all the way. Regardless of that, both my husband and I had fabulous sleep (verifiable by our Garmin watches). I particularly liked the matrimonial room mattress...it simply snuggled you up. The night sky, when not clouded over, had amazing stars and the property is remote enough that it was quiet at night.
The bathroom is spacious and plenty of hot water. Note that sometimes in the shower, the water gets a little cool but then hot water comes back on again and there is lots of it.
Salvatore is extremely thoughtful and very communicative. Almost nightly he checked in to make sure everything was okay. There is his dog and chickens in kennels and all were extremely quiet. I absolutely loved his dog, he is inquisitive and happy and stayed in the kennel during our stay, no trouble at all. The chickens provide fresh eggs and Salvatore provided plenty for our stay and even offered additional eggs during our stay.
We thought the location was perfect for our outdoor lifestyle. Very close to two national parks for hiking. As amateur archeologists, we loved going to Noto Antica and finding the “Heroa” Greci, two cult style shrines (caves with little nooks) of Greek origin. You are about 20 minutes from the current Noto and the same to Siracusa. So much to explore in this part of Sicily that we could have spent our full three months here.
I have no reservations on staying again or recommending Salvatore's place.