As others have said, Francesco and Mariana’s place is exceptional! This gorgeous property is an oasis of tranquility, only minutes from Cefalu which was bustling with tourists while we were there (beginning of June). It was a joy to come home at the end of our outings each day to such a beautiful and calm spot. It is clear that Francesco and Mariana have put a lot of work into making their property beautiful, while effortlessly blending with the surrounding greenery. It truly looks and feels like paradise.
We stayed with our 3 year old and 8 month old baby, and played in the pool as a family every one of the ten days we stayed here. It was ideal for cooling off in the mornings and again in the afternoons when we returned from our outings.
Francesco was an outstanding host, in every way I can think of. He went above and beyond to make sure our stay was perfect. He even helped me to get a Canadian prescription refilled when I discovered I had brought an insufficient supply with me- for this I am extremely grateful.
Cefalu was an easy town to get groceries and other supplies in, and we had no trouble finding parking for our trips to the beach and to old town. Francesco gave us excellent recommendations for where to get groceries and anything else that we needed. For this reason, the proximity of this house to Cefalu was a big plus for us for us, though as others have noted you do need your own car.
We also loved exploring some of the Madonie mountain towns, and the house was ideally situated for this as well. The tiny mountaintop town of Pollina in particular captured my heart. In Castelbueno we had an exceptionally good meal at Palazzaccio. If we didn’t have young kids with us, we would have loved to explore some of the further mountain towns, which would be easily done from this house with older kids or just adults.
I have no complaints about our stay here, and only gratitude to Francesco for making our stay so perfect.