We booked Francesca’s lovely Scicli property as a base to explore southern Sicily but this was so much more than just a base. The area is beautiful, real and rich in history, the sunsets on the roof terrace were amazing, watching the swifts flying and hearing owls hooting. But what really made our holiday special were the lovely welcoming people of Scicli, including Francesca, who were so patient with us and our poor grasp of the Italian language. Everyone we spoke to was keen to tell us more about Scicli and were so friendly and interested. There is a good choice of restaurants and we had several meals out but also cooked and ate on the terrace. This really is a very special place with a lovely host and we very much hope to return soon.