We had an absolutely wonderful long weekend in Villa Zingaro as a family of two adults & two small kids (5 & 2). The villa was extremely clean & well maintained, & with six good sized double bedrooms & three bathrooms in the main villa, & a separate annexe with bunks & another bathroom, would easily have housed another family without any crowding.
Likewise the kitchen was well stocked with all the utensils etc... we could have needed for at least double our group size, as well as basics such as oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar & coffee. No “welcome bottle” of wine was provided though, so be sure to stock up on the way in!
The real gem of this wonderful villa however, is the outside space- the huge dining table shaded by a lovely spreading tree, the barbecue & outside kitchen, the covered veranda overlooking the coast stretching over to Palermo, the loungers under old olive trees by the outside shower, & of course the stunning pool, again amongst old olive trees, & positioned to have the sun for the best part of the whole day. Even around this is the wilder grounds- olive & almond trees, & prickly pears, stretching right up to the boundary fence of the national park, & also with stunning views.
For us, a huge part of the attraction & charm of villa Zingaro was the isolation & peace & quiet, being quite a long way up a steep and, in places, quite rough track from the main road. That said, we had no significant trouble in our small hire car, even in the wet, but would have struggled without one given the terrain & distance from central Scopello.
Though we probably would have been fairly content to just spend the weekend up the hill around the pool & garden (with the odd trip for gelato), we also had wonderful trips to the beach at the foot of the hill, & to the beaches in the Zingaro reserve, which though they did require paying for parking/entry were well worth it.
Gianluca was excellent in his communication during the booking process, & Carmen, who appears to manage things locally, was extremely helpful & accommodating with our arrival & settling in, & even arranged for a late check-out as no one was arriving again immediately, which made our lives significantly easier & for which we were very grateful.
We would love to come back to Villa Zingaro again in future, either alone, or better still with friends, & very much hope Gianluca will have us.