From the earliest communication until we left, everything was outstanding. We were wanting to experience real Sicilian life and we found the right combination in this Sicilian mountain oasis. The quiet times were so quiet, we did not realize how loud our Florida neighborhood was, until we spent time here and heard bees, sheep bells in the distance, dogs, cows mooing in the distance. We sat outside and enjoyed wine and reading and the beauty of the ageless property and garden. We did not take cooking classes although I would have like to to, but we needed to leave that for another time because I planned other things for my husbands birthday. However, we did take advantage of the optional traditional meals cooked for us by Nino and Dina and that was one of the best holiday experiences of our lives. We had leftovers for days, enjoying over and over. The cottage is so comfortable, the shutters were antique and so functional...we never locked the door any of the 5 days we were there, but at night we just closed and locked the shutters. Francesco gave us so much information about places to go, everything we needed. But, in reality, we just really wanted to spend time in and around the cottage. I said we wanted to experience Sicilian life, and we did except, we did not work as hard as this family works to maintain this spectacular property...we only had to enjoy the fruits of their labor, the peace and beauty and walk into the cottage to find a fully authentic Sicilian meal warm and ready on the table. We are in awe of the hospitality of this lovely family and lovely island. We will never forget this piece of paradise. Thank you Nino and Dina, Francesco and Catarina.