We had absolutely great time at Salvatore's podere- the room is very clean, comfortable , bathroom and kitchen , a table outside on a terrace, surrounded by orange and lemon trees, plants and flowers everywhere, everything maintained with lots of love. Great swimming pool , large enough for swimming , not a 'jacuzzi' size pond one sees often. Couple min drive to Brucoli (groceries and couple restaurants, authentic vibe still) and Costa Saracena Castellucio ( fabulous beach with rocks you can dive from, great view on Etna). 25 min drive to Syracuse , a very special place on the planet- an hour or so from Merzamemi and Vendicari.
Salvatore and his wife are beautiful people - very friendly and helpful, their family as well ( Massimo speaks fantastic English and is very helpful, friendly , great chap)- they treated us like family, everything was very spontaneous, easy and nice. We were very happy and honoured to meet and befriend them . We are planning to come back next year !