We stayed at Villa Sophia for three weeks this September. The villa is well equipped, furnished, and maintained. The indoor space is fully integrated, Italian-style, with a meticulously landscaped lot. It is a delightful place for a siesta or a quiet dinner. The villa is close to the Poseidon shopping center, where one can buy good food and plenty of other goods and services. It is also minutes from the freeway E90 going northwest to Palermo and southeast to Trapani. This road links the villa with some of the best beaches in the world, including Mondello beach near Palermo and Lido Pirata beach in Castellamare del Golfo. The freeway also provides easy reach to must-see historical places such as the Normal Palace and Palermo Cathedral downtown and the Monreale cathedral to the northwest, as well as the historic town Erice and the Selinunte Archaeological Park to the southeast. The villa's owners are always accessible and ready to help with advice and action.
The cons come with the advantages. In the densely populated community of Carini, a part of the Metropolitan City of Palermo, one cannot get anywhere on foot; you need a car. One can hear in the villa the noise of heavy traffic in the nearby Via Ciachea.