Our group of 3 families spent a week at this beautiful villa near Messina. Maurizio, the host, was great about communicating with us ahead of time and helping us make plans. This was very helpful as I was planning a trip not only for my own family, but two others with various interests and nine kids raging in age from 9-19. There was plenty of space for all 15 of us and everyone had a great time. The villa property is gorgeous, beautifully maintained by a gardener and overlooking the sea and a breathtaking view of the Aeolean Islands. The sunsets were spectacular! The pool is pristine and there are well maintained plants and flowers everywhere and shaded parking. The property is very large and has it's own orchard full of olive and countless varieties of organic fruit trees (of which you can pick and eat from). Maurizio's very charming and hospitable father, Aurelio, gave us a lovely tour of the orchard and gave us an appreciation of the vast variety and quality and number of things they grow there. The villa is within walking distance to Celona, a nice restaurant with very good food that also sells gelato, coffee and pastries as well as excellent pizza and Italian fare. It is also a short walk to a local beach and a short drive to the supermarket and various shops and restaurants. The property also has a sauna and hot tub (with a view of the sea), a basketball and tennis court and sports equipment, a beautiful outdoor eating space that easily seated all 15 of us, a grill and pizza oven, and a washing machine and clothes line. One of the best things about the villa was the hospitality of our hosts. Maurizio, his sister, Barbara and their father were amazing. Maurizio was very responsive and easy to communicate with and helped me set up a boat cruise to the Aeolian Islands for our group prior to the trip; he also helped me set up a pizza making class at the villa and a group meal at the villa. He also personally met our group when we got there and gave us great advice about local things to see and do. During the week, Barbara checked in with us to make sure we were comfortable, organized the pizza making class with a local pizza chef and even brought us her own home made jam made from the villa's fruit trees. There was much more to see and do in the area than we could possibly experience in a week, so we had to pick and choose as we were trying to find a balance of exploring and relaxing and wanted to spend plenty of time relaxing and enjoying the amenities at the villa. Besides the full day boat cruise, other things we enjoyed were the pizza class at the villa using the traditional outdoor pizza oven (outstanding!), a day trip to Siracusa (Greek and Roman theaters), the market in Ortega; a day trip to scenic Taormina, a beautiful beach near Messina where the two seas meet with a gorgeous view of the Italian mainland which we would not have found without Maurizio's help. Others in our group also enjoyed Noto and the Pools of Venus. There were many beautiful and interesting places within an hour or two of the villa. We wish we would have had time to see more. On our last evening, Barbara, Maurizio's sister who is also a chef, came and cooked a truly amazing dinner for our group. She is a very interesting and kind woman and made us feel so welcome. The only thing we were sad about was it was our last night and we didn't have room or time to finish it all. If I would have known, I would have scheduled the dinner earlier in the week to make sure we could enjoy every bite. My only regret about our vacation was not staying at least an extra week. We are truly appreciative of Maurizio, Barbara and Aurelio's outstanding hospitality and would return.