It was our first trip to Sicily, and we couldn´t have made a better choice than Mario´s place. The road up there was a little challenge but well worth it.
About the house: It is located in the mountains, the view is even more spectacular than in the pictures. Surrounded by a huge garden, which is very interesting to explore. You can see the sunrise from the bed, which is a nice way to wake up. It is quiet and perfect for relaxation. It´s clean and cozy, equipped with all the basic you need, so there is a clear recommendation for the house to begin with.
But what made our visit there really great was the extraordinary friendliness and helpfulness of our hosts.
Upon arrival we were also greeted by Marios´s friend Filippo- , is the sweetest, coolest person ever- he led us to the house and showed us everything. ( A car is definitely needed but even the road from the village to the house has many scenic spots, it´s worth to stop occasionally and walk a bit)
The next morning Filippo gave us a little tour of the village, recommended where to shop and treated us to coffee and sicilian sweets.
Mario and Daniela arrived a few days later, they are both super friendly and so helpful. We were honored to enjoy a private dinner with them on the lovely terrace, and they also arranged a boat trip for us. Mario has a lot of great information about what to do and where to go in the area. I could go on and on :)
We also loved the fact that Gioiosa Marea is not too touristic at all- and we hope it stays that way- hence most people do not speak English or German (a good thing, in our opinion) so to know a few italian basics won´t hurt. But Sicilians in general are very warm and friendly people and we didn´t have a problem anywhere.
The village has a train station with a pretty good schedule, from there you can go either towards Palermo or Messina. Prices are low, and it´s a good way to explore the area, if you don´t want to use the car (Parking can be a challenge in some places).
Bottom line, we loved it !