Il Gelso consists of 2 charming rustic properties joined by an arch, in a beautiful garden, perched inland on a remote hillside amidst the spectacular rolling hills of the Sicilian countryside and with a panorama of the Egadi islands in the distance. In the evening, by the lovely pool, we watched the burning red Sicilian sun setting on the horizon. The only sources of disturbance are the rustle of leaves from the wind and the lizards, and the rare rumble of a harvesting tractor. The houses have been attractively renovated, retaining many original features & are equipped with fully-functioning air-conditioning units in most rooms, a great bluetooth speaker & large TV in the main house (& some smaller TVs/speakers in bedrooms) & decent showers. The billiards table, table football & ping-pong were extremely popular with our party. A car is essential, Il Gelso is a smooth 50 minutes from Palermo airport. The nearest village, Fulgatore (which boasted a small supermarket, a butchers', & a couple of bars/cafés & a take-away pizzeria) is reachable by car in c.12 minutes. Roads in Sicily were surprisingly good with no traffic (much better than the South of France for traffic), with the exception of the traffic in down-town Palermo. Our best day-trips were to Selinunte & Castellamare del Golfo (really recommend renting an inflatable speed-boat for the day (120 euros) & snorkelling & cliff-diving along the coast by Scopello & Lo Zingaro). Our host Giorgio was extremely helpful & responsive, & his wife Francesca & their helpers Vito & Donatella greeted us with an Aperitivo on our arrival. Vito came every day to clean the pool & was charming & helpful. This is a great spot to get far-away from the madding crowd in a beautiful unspoilt part of the world.